


Against His Will

by Silverwrym



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Blow Jobs, Breathplay, Fetish, Gags, Gen, Handcuffs, Kidnapping, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rope Bondage, Slave Trade, doll kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-10 12:21:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 19
Words: 66,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7844758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverwrym/pseuds/Silverwrym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer starts to question whether or not he belongs in the BAU anymore.  Unfortunately, the choice of whether to stay or go is made for him when he is tricked into attending an awards ceremony in Chicago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Self-Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends!
> 
> Please heed the tags and avoid this story if you have triggers. This is a very dark and twisted tale. Poor Reid suffers through a whole lot of stuff and it isn't pretty.
> 
> I hope to post a few chapters a day until the whole story is up for you.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Abracadabra,” Spencer cried out as he tapped his wand against the rim of his magician’s hat and pulled out a small kitten with unique beige stripes.

 

The small children in the audience gasped in amazement before they cheered and clapped their hands together.  Reid had just performed the grand finale of his magic show and in his hands was the birthday boy’s surprise gift.

 

“Jack Hotchner, step on up and claim your gift,” Spencer encouraged the young youth who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet.

 

“Are you serious?” the little boy shouted with wonder as he looked over to his father for approval.

 

“Go on Jack.  He’s all yours,” Hotchner said to his excited son.

 

With a squeal of delight the little boy jumped up and ran up to Reid.  The kitten quickly transferred hands and was soon being cradled in its new owner’s arms.  The rest of the kids at the party got up off the floor and surrounded the birthday boy trying to pet the adorable cat.

 

“What are you going to name him?” Spencer asked as he started to clean up his materials.

 

“Butterscotch, because his color reminds me of those candies that grandma always gives me when I go over to her house to visit,” Jack said as he scratched the spot in between the kitten’s floppy ears.

 

“That’s a great name.  We’ll have to call grandma later tonight to tell her the good news.  Now why don’t you and your friends go into the living room and make a bed for Butterscotch using the pillows and blanket from the couch,” Hotch instructed the kids.

 

“Awesome!  Come on guys!” Jack called as he made a beeline for the couch.

 

Hotch let out a chuckle as he watched his son lead the troop of children out of the dining room.  Once all the kids were out of the way Aaron turned around and began to help Reid clean up his supplies.

 

“Thank you so much for putting on the magic show.  It really helped make Jack’s birthday memorable.  I honestly don’t know how you were able to keep that many kids entertained for over an hour,” Hotch said with admiration.

 

“It was my pleasure.  It felt good to show off my other talent.  As for the kids, who doesn’t love magic?  I find that kids are usually attentive, especially when the magician is giving away all of his secrets,” Reid explained as he put away his fake flowers and handkerchief chain.

 

“Well, I just need to thank you again.  When Jack said he wanted the theme of his birthday to be a surprise I was at a loss.  It wasn’t until one of your rockets flew threw my office door that I realized you could help me.  Should I put you down for the same time next year?” Hotch asked jokingly.

 

“Hmm…I’m not sure.  The performance went so well that I might be booked by the rest of the kids from Jack’s class.  I might even have to quit my day job at the BAU to fit in all the birthday parties and assemblies,” Reid teased as he zipped up his bag of tools.

 

“Ha…I’m afraid that you might be right though,” Hotch agreed, “So are you ready to speak at the Violent Crimes Seminar tomorrow in Chicago?”

 

A grimace graced Spencer’s face at the mention of public speaking, “Yeah…as ready as I can be.  I have my speech all planned out but my execution never goes accordingly.  I still don’t understand why the bureau insists on signing me up to speak in front of large audiences.”

 

“Because deep down the bureau is still all about appearances and you, Reid, make us look younger.  It doesn’t hurt that you are a genius and quite famous in the law enforcement and psychological fields either.  They know that if they tout a big name out there a crowd will be drawn,” Hotch said.

 

“Yeah…well, I’m not so young anymore.  Oh and Patricia Cornwell should a big enough name to draw a crowd,” Reid retorted.

 

“What do you mean you’re not so young anymore?  Wait…did you say Patricia Cornwell?”

 

“Yeah, she’s speaking at the conference too.  Oh and before me I might add…How do they expect me to follow her?  I’m going to mess it up for sure,” Reid said in anguish as he ignored Hotch’s initial question.

 

“You’ll be fine Reid.  Just stop worrying about it and when you get up in front of the room just stare at a spot on the back wall…and don’t try any jokes.  Not many people understand your sense of humor,” Hotch suggested.

 

“You’re right about that.  Last time I tried a joke I was met with the horrified gazes of thirty college juniors.  Well, I’ve got to get home to pack,” the genius said as he made his way to the door.

 

“Jack, come say goodbye to Reid,” Hotch called out to his son.

 

Jack came sprinting from his spot on the couch and wrapped Spencer’s legs in a big hug, “Thank you so much for coming to my party!  Thanks for teaching me all those cool tricks!  You’re the best!”

 

Reid chuckled at the exuberance the little boy was emitting, “You’re very welcome birthday boy!  Take care now.”

 

“Take care Reid,” Hotch said as he closed the door behind the retreating magician.

* * *

 

 

In the back of the ballroom at a table surrounded by local police detectives sat Officer Edwards.  His chief had sent him to this seminar to pick up some new information on sexual crimes.  Recently the Chicago police had started a specialized division that focused on sexually based crimes.  As a result, it was important that the law enforcement officers in the division stay up to date on all of the information available that pertained to their specialty.  So, it was Edward’s job to jot down all the notes he could and relay them back to his team tomorrow during their section meeting.

 

Stationed in the back of the room it was easy for Officer Edwards to blend into his surroundings.  He didn’t like being in the spotlight and preferred to go unnoticed if he could.  He sat in the back doodling on some lined paper while that author was talking about Lord knows what.  He was really here to listen to what the visiting FBI profilers had to say.  One in particular was set to discuss paraphilia, or kinks as regular society calls them.

 

Edwards was drawn away from his daydream when the audience around him started to clap their hands.  He looked up and saw that a tall skinny young man was now standing at the podium.  The man, who had been identified as Spencer Reid, was supposedly an FBI agent.  Officer Edwards flipped his notepad to a fresh sheet of paper waiting to see if they scrawny agent would be providing him with any useful information.

 

The second the kid began to speak Officer Edwards was captivated.  He was enthralled by the awkward and embarrassed manner of Agent Reid.  He enjoyed how nervous the kid was and how his anxieties transferred into the audience.   It was funny because some of the viewers were actually wincing in sympathy for the kids humiliating plight.  Edwards, on the other hand, was feeling a stirring in his groin as he enjoyed watching the young agent struggle to deliver information on the twisted sexual preferences of some humans.

 

An excellent idea popped into his head as he watched the agent try to make a terrible joke and get nothing but cricket chirps in return.  He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly texted his friend, “ _I think I’ve found someone that would be a big draw for our site.”_

His friend quickly responded, “ _I thought you were there to learn about different kinks.”_

_“I am, but it just so happens that the person delivering the speech is as interesting as the subject manner.”_

_“Let me see.”_

Edwards took his phone and held it in the air and captured a quick picture of the young man in agony.  He sent the picture on its way, eagerly waiting to see what his friend thought.

 

“ _Your right. He would be perfect for the site.  But didn’t you say the FBI was putting on this seminar?  If he’s an agent wouldn’t employing him be a little risky?”_

Edwards was more than prepared to answer this question, _“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”_

_“Keep me posted.”_

****

Officer Edwards put away his phone and sat back to enjoy the rest of the lecture.  He allowed his eyes to dance over the lithe young man imagining all the ways he could make money off of the gawky stature.  He smirked as he thought about the fortune that was about to fall into his lap thanks to this strangely alluring young man.

* * *

 

 

Reid stood off to the side of the grand ballroom while Prentiss was inundated with questions.  His speech turned out worse than he had expected.  In a matter of seconds he had alienated the audience and no matter how hard he tried they never came around to him.  Throughout the whole speech he was met with either dead or disgusted stares.

 

Why did they ask him to come and talk about paraphilia?  No one wants to really hear about those types of things, they’re just too disturbing.  The second he mention dendrophilia he knew his chances of delivering a meaningful message to the audience was shot.  His failure was so absolute that not a single person had approached him with questions after the seminar was over.

 

With a sigh of frustration he turned around and exited the ballroom.  The sooner he left Chicago and put this whole embarrassing experience behind him the better.

 

Seconds after he got out into the foyer someone unfamiliar called out his name.  He turned to see a young man coming up to him.  After talking to the man for a few minutes he quickly realized that what he thought was an interested audience member was just a bored socialite trying to find some entertainment.  To make matters worse the college kid also had to rub in the fact that he was the founder of the up and coming Nanovex Company. 

 

 The whole encounter made Reid start to think about his own life. That kid was just as young, promising, and brilliant as Reid had been at his age, and here he was the proud founder of a cancer fighting research facility.  What had Reid done?  Sure he had written some articles, saved some lives, captured some serial killers, but initially when he was starting out in higher education he had loftier goals.  He had set out to cure schizophrenia.  Unfortunately, that had never happened and now his mother was still locked up in a care facility and he was here talking about some sick man’s obsession with trees.

 

The whole way to San Francisco all Reid could think about what his age and his life expectations.  He had turned thirty a week ago and he had nothing to show for it.  In fact, his birthday was so insignificant his friends hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge it.  Perhaps it was there way of showing him that he really didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.  Maybe they really saw him and his accomplishments as more of a nuisance than anything that could be considered beneficial.

 

As the plane turned around over the water to get ready for its landing, Reid decided right then and there to really analyze if the FBI was the place for him.  Was he really needed by the team or could he be using his skills elsewhere?  Was there still time to make a bigger difference in the world?  Was he wasting his talent on the BAU?

* * *

 

The case in San Francisco was one of the most interesting ones that had ended up on the BAU caseload in quite a while.  The fact that they were hunting a Zodiac Killer copycat really stimulated Spencer’s brain.  He enjoyed the challenge of cracking the codes and discovering the subtle differences between the real Zodiac Killer and the copycat.  Luckily, he was successfully able to decipher the chess board pattern that the unsub had employed to plot his final move and they were able to prevent the fiancée’s murder in time.

 

Unfortunately, the whole case was overshadowed by his self-doubt in career choice.  While working and solving this case he really felt like he was doing some good, but when all was said and done was it worthy of his capabilities.  He was still concerned with whether or not he was living up to his potential.  It turns out he still wasn’t sure whether or not the BAU was the best career choice for him.

 

When the plane landed and the group disembarked they made their way back to the office.  It had been a long couple of days so no one was intent on sticking around work for very long.  Pretty much everyone had just stopped by so they could drop off their paper work and grab their personal items before heading home.

 

Much to Reid’s surprise there was a small envelope addressed to him sitting on top of his desk.  Curiously he reached down and picked up the mail.

 

“Hey pretty boy, whatcha got there?” Morgan asked as he walked by Reid on his way up to his office.

 

“I don’t know.  It was delivered while we were out on the case,” Reid said as he flipped the envelope over and started to rip along the top seam.

 

Once it was successfully opened he pulled out what looked like an invitation.

 

“Well, what does it say?”

 

Reid’s eyes flitted over the words on the inside of the card and said to Morgan, “It’s an invite to a banquet.  Apparently I’ve won a Peer to Peer Psychologist Award for writing that article last month on paraphilias and how they affect the psychology of a killer.”

 

“Isn’t that what you just talked about at that seminar in Chicago with Prentiss?” Morgan asked.

 

“Yeah…strange coincidence I guess.”

 

“So, are you going to go?”

 

“Go where?” Reid asked absentmindedly as he shoved the invite into his bag.

 

“Are you going to go to the banquet?”

 

“Oh…probably not.  I hate being in the center of attention,” Reid answered shivering at the thought of being forced to give another speech.

 

“Come on man.  I heard you and Prentiss on the plane.  I know that you’re questioning yourself right now.  Maybe this ceremony is just the push you need to make the best choice,” Morgan said.

 

Reid, surprised that Morgan knew about his self-contemplation said, “You heard all that?”

 

“Yeah man.  And while I’m not excited at the idea of you leaving us behind for bigger and better things, I would understand if you ended up making that choice.  I just want you to be sure it’s what you want before you up and leave us forever,” Morgan said sadly.

 

“You would support my decision?” Reid questioned.

 

“Yes…but I would be crushed to lose my best friend,” he answered.

 

“You wouldn’t lose me.  We just wouldn’t work together anymore,” Reid explained.

 

“I know, but when your work is your life it’s hard to keep in contact with anyone that isn’t directly involved with what you do.”

 

Reid sighed knowing that Morgan was right, “I know…well I’ve got to think about this first.  I’m just not sure what I want right now.”

 

“Well, when’s the banquet?”

 

“A week from Saturday.”

 

“Why don’t you hold off on your decision?  You should go to the ceremony and see how you feel about things afterwards.  Perhaps the banquet will be inspiring and lead you to the path you really want to pursue,” Morgan advised.

 

“Yeah...I like that idea.  Thanks Morgan,” Reid said with a bit more confidence in his voice.

 

“Hold up a sec, Pretty Boy.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You didn’t tell me what fun and exciting location you might be jetting off to?”

 

“Chicago.”


	2. A New Home

The next week at work was pretty mundane and uneventful.  Reid did his best each day to hide his unhappiness and was pretty successful.  The hardest day to keep his pensive feelings to himself was when his team threw him a surprise belated birthday party.  Luckily, right before the party he had managed to convince Prentiss that he was happy with staying at the BAU.  He even succeeded in hiding his resentment at the fact that everyone had missed his initial birthday.  Although, it wasn’t like it was the first time that he had to celebrate turning another year older by himself.  It was just that he had hoped he would never have to be alone on such an important day again.

 

Other than the party he pretty much relied on paper work and consults to pass the time.  Reid was thankful though for the quiet work week.  It gave him time to analyze his accomplishments and compare them to others of equal age and genius.  He found that his achievements weren’t nearly as impressive or important when compared to his peers.  The contemplative genius filed his findings away for further review and comparisons until after he got back from the award ceremony.

 

Speaking of the awards ceremony, it seemed as if Reid had blinked and it was already Friday night.  He needed to get home in order to prepare for his short trip the next day.  So he started to pack up his belongings and headed out of the glass doors that separated the BAU from the hallway.

 

He made his way over to the elevator and pressed the down button.  As the lift doors separated he stepped in and was joined by his best friend who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

 

“You ready to add another trophy to your mantel tomorrow?” Morgan asked.

 

“You know perfectly well that I don’t have a mantel,” Reid quipped.

 

“Yes genius, I know that.  I just meant are you ready to accept your award tomorrow,” Morgan explained as a smile quirked up on his lips.  It always amused him when Reid took things literally.

 

“Oh…I guess I am.  But like I told you last week, I hate being the center of attention.  I wrote my acceptance speech last night and timed it to a minute exactly.  It’s going to be short and painless,” Reid said.

 

“That’s good.  No one wants to hear a long winded speech anyways.  Especially if there are going to be multiple awards given out at the same ceremony.  Hey, are you sure that you don’t want me to come with you to share in all your glory?” Morgan asked.

 

“Nah…I’ll be fine.  I don’t want you to give up your weekend just to sit in a boring banquet room all night listening to stuffy scientists shower accolades on each other,” Reid said.

 

“It wouldn’t be a problem man.  Hey, we could even go out and have some fun afterwards,” Morgan suggested.

 

“You know that our ideas of fun vastly differ.  Anyways, I want to take some time after the ceremony to review some stuff.”

 

“You still haven’t made up your mind about whether or not to stay with the team have you?” Morgan asked slightly depressed.

 

The elevator doors opened and revealed the impressive lobby of the bureau.  Reid stepped off and turned to face Morgan, “No…I still haven’t made up my mind.  But I have been spending most of my time thinking about it.  Though, let’s just say that I’m pretty close to making my final decision.”

 

Morgan quickly stuck out his hand into the elevator door to prevent it from closing and cutting off the conversation, “You can’t leave me hanging like that pretty boy.  Promise to call me as soon as you’ve made up your mind.  Please.”

 

“You’ll be the first to know my decision.  Have a good weekend,” the prodigy said as he turned around and walked away.

 

“You too,” he called as he allowed the elevator door slide close, not knowing that it would be the last glimpse he would have of his best friend for a long time.

* * *

 

 

Once again Reid found himself disembarking a commercial flight that landed in Chicago.  His long lanky legs were aching from being stuffed in the middle seat on the airplane.  The second the plane landed he urged the person in the aisle seat to stand up so he could stretch his limbs.  As he brushed the ceiling with his fingers he silently wished the FBI would allow its employees to use the jet for personal excursions.

 

After he grabbed his bag out of the overhead compartment and exited the gate he quickly made his way to the closest curb to hail a taxi.  It was just his luck that the driver he selected happened to one that hadn’t bathed in days.  The inside of the cab smelled like old burgers and body odor.  The upholstery on the seats was ripped and the floor mats were scuffed.  Pushing the thoughts of the disgusting interior aside Reid ordered the driver to take him to his hotel.

 

The driver grunted his understanding and flawlessly merged into traffic.  Reid settled back into the seat and thought out his timeframe for the day.  He should arrive at the hotel in plenty of time to unpack his suit and freshen up before the ceremony.  The banquet didn’t start until seven so maybe he would catch a quick cup of coffee down in the lobby to ease his nerves.

 

Reid was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt the cab jerk to a halt.

 

“What the fuck?” he heard the cabbie mumble under his breath.

 

The genius looked out the front windshield and didn’t see anything that would cause the sudden stop.  He then craned his neck around trying to see what was bothering the driver.  His big brown doe eyes landed on a cop car with its lights flashing bright, signaling a pullover. 

 

“Were you speeding?” an annoyed Reid asked.

 

“Not that much,” the taxi driver replied.

 

Reid decided that the best choice of action was to sit back and let the driver get his ticket.  So he watched out of the corner of his eye as the officer walked up to the driver’s window and rapped on it with his knuckles.  The cabbie lowered his window and said, “Is there a problem officer?”

 

“Could you step out of the vehicle, sir?” the officer asked.

 

Reid, unable to see the policeman’s face only his name badge that read “Edwards,” was curious as to why the man needed to get out of the car.  Was his taxi driver a wanted felon?  Knowing his own perchance to finding trouble even when he wasn’t looking for it he wouldn’t be surprised if he had been riding in an illegal cab.

 

“Of course, officer,” the driver said as he exited the car after the cop opened the door for him.

 

Reid, again trying to stay out of whatever was transpiring, continued sitting facing forward.  He decided to pick at his nails as he waited patiently for either the cabbie to come back or the officer to return.

 

It was only a few minutes later that the cop came back to the taxi and opened Reid’s door.

 

Surprised, Reid looked up at the man and said, “What’s going on?”

 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to exit the vehicle,” was all the stoic cop would say in response.

 

“May I ask why?” Reid asked with confusion.

 

“Sir, you need to get out of the car,” the man repeated with more force.

 

“Did I do something wrong?  I just flew into Chicago…” Reid trailed off as he grabbed his bags and cautiously exited the cab.

 

“Leave your belongings, sir,” the officer instructed.

 

“Okay, but are you going to tell me what is going on?”  Reid asked as he stood fully erect outside of the car.

 

Instead of receiving a verbal answer the police officer grabbed Reid’s arm and roughly dragged him over to the trunk of the car.

 

“What are you doing?” Reid cried at the rough treatment.

 

The cop bent him over the trunk and the genius could hear him removing handcuffs from his belt, “Spencer Reid, I have a warrant for your arrest.  You have the right to remain silent…”

 

“You’re arresting me?  On what grounds?  I want to see that warrant!  You can’t arrest me without giving me a chance to look at the warrant!”

 

The Officer Edwards continued reciting Reid’s Miranda Rights and ignored the lanky man’s questions and demands.  Edwards fastened the metal bracelets as tight as he could, purposely trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible for Reid.  Then he stood the boy up and started to frog-march him to the awaiting police car.  Reid glanced at the cabbie standing on the curb watching as his passenger was arrested.  The door to the back was already open and the genius was stuffed into the rear seat.  It was then quickly closed without another word.

 

Officer Edwards made his way back to the cab with a smile on his face.  He knew that the boy in his car was successfully discombobulated and that made him snicker.  This whole abduction thing was all too easy when your targets were fooled by your profession.  Once he reached the back of the taxi he pulled out the kid’s belongings and hefted them over his shoulder.  He didn’t want to leave any trace of his victim behind.  He looked over to the cabbie on the curb and said, “Thanks for your cooperation.  I’m sorry for the trouble.  Send the bill to the station care of Officer Edwards and I’ll make sure you’re paid.”

 

The taxi driver just nodded his understanding and watched as his customer was driven away.

* * *

 

 

Reid was thoroughly confused and upset.  He had no idea what was written on that warrant and the officer was keeping silent.  He hadn’t done anything, but his arrest happened so fast that the officer didn’t give him time to protest it.  The frazzled young man decided to take a chance and ask his questions again, even if it meant denying his right to remain silent.

 

“What am I being arrested for?” Reid asked as calmly as he could.

 

The officer just glared at him through the rearview mirror and continued driving silently.

 

“You know that you could have potentially blown this whole arrest by denying me the right to read the warrant.  My lawyer will definitely not overlook this violation of my rights,” Reid said trying to scare the officer into talking.

 

“As of right now you don’t have any rights,” were the first words that Edwards said to Reid.

 

“What do you mean?  Of course I have rights.  You may have arrested me, illegally I might add, but even suspects have rights,” Reid said exasperated at this officer’s refusal to follow the proper procedures.

 

“We’ll see…,” the crooked cop answered cryptically.

 

Reid huffed out a sigh as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position in the backseat.  His wrists were killing him due to how tight the cuffs were wrapped around them.  He tried his best to keep them still because even the slightest movement caused them to cut into his tender flesh.

 

Knowing that he wasn’t going to get anything else out of the officer he decided to look out the window and observe their route to the station.  The cruiser was zipping in and out of the lanes using its intimidation factor to get other cars to move out of its way.  Whenever they would stop at a light Spencer would turn his face toward the front of the vehicle trying to avoid eye contact with the people in the other cars.  It was so embarrassing sitting in the back of a police car.  The other citizens were looking at him like he was some sort of a monster.

 

While he was busy avoiding eye contact it dawned on Reid that the cruiser was very silent.  It wasn’t like he was expecting music to be playing but he at least expected the two way radio to have gone off a few time throughout their ride.  He looked at the receiver and noticed that it was turned off.  Strange…an on-duty cop would never have his radio off.

 

A chill went through the boy as started to get suspicious of this officer’s intentions.  As he turned his gaze back out the window Reid noticed that they weren’t anywhere near the downtown precinct, “Which station are you taking me to?”

 

The policeman ignored the question and continued to maneuver through the streets of downtown Chicago.

 

A bad feeling started to gnaw at the center of his stomach.  The feeling that had been there since he had first felt the metal of the taxi’s trunk against his cheek was now becoming more prominent.  As his feelings of unease continued to grow Reid started to pull at the restraints on his wrists.  Something wasn’t right. 

 

Actually, that was the understatement of the year, something was incredibly wrong. 

 

He needed to get out of this car now!

 

Reid’s mental alarm started screaming as the cop pulled into the parking garage of a local high rise.  The officer rolled down his window and inserted a card into a machine.  The arm that was blocking entrance to the garage lifted and allowed the cruiser entrance.

 

“Where are we?  You can’t bring me here.  What is going on?” he practically yelled in panic as he finally realized he was being abducted.

 

“Oh shut up!” was the officer’s only answer.

 

The car drove into the deep recesses of the garage and parked by the freight elevator.  Officer Edwards turned off the car and got out.  He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the frightened young man restrained in the back of his car.

 

Through the window Reid could hear him say, “Now you’re going to get out of the car very carefully.  One wrong move and I’ll blow your brains out.”

 

Reid gulped and nodded his head.  The door opened and the genius planted his left foot on the ground.  He struggled getting the rest of his body out due to his inability to use his hands.

 

 “You know kidnapping me is a federal offense.  You should just let me go and turn yourself in now.  It’s ignorant of you to think that my team won’t be able to find me.  They know I’m in Chicago and they’ll get worried when I don’t show up at work on Monday,” Reid said as he tried to reason with the man.

 

The crooked cop said nothing as he grabbed Reid’s arm and stuck his gun against the small of the young man’s back, “Start walking to the elevator.”

 

The freight doors opened revealing a large metal space.  This elevator was only used for moving so it was quite large to accommodate furniture.  The two men stepped into the metal cage and the doors closed with a screech behind them.  Edwards released Reid’s arm in order to insert a key into the panel and then he pushed the button for floor sixty-five.

 

The ride was made in silence.  When the doors finally opened Reid was forced into the foyer of an expensive apartment.

 

“Welcome home,” Officer Edwards said.

 

“Home?”

 

“Yeah, you’re going to be staying with us for quite a while,” he answered as he used the same elevator key to access the apartment.

 

Reid gasped in awe at the living space that occupied the other side of the door.  The apartment was so vast it took up the entire floor.  The windows were floor to ceiling and they displayed a spectacular view of the Windy City.

 

The imprisoned genius didn’t have much time to gawk at his surroundings though.  Officer Edwards was quick to lead him along through the apartment to a doorway at the end of an expansive hallway.  Upon opening the door, Reid was surprised to be greeted by the sight of stairs.

 

“Up,” was all the man ordered as he poked the gun into the boy’s back to force his demand.

 

Reid shuffled up the steps and stopped at the landing.  Again, he was shoved through another door to find himself standing in a long white hallway.  There were doors intermittently spaced on each side of the hall and there was one at the very end.  He was marched to the very last door and stopped in front of it.

 

“This is where you’re going to be staying for the time being.  Now let’s go in and get you acquainted with your new home,” the man chuckled in Reid’s ear.

 

Upon entry the genius was greeted with stark white walls.  There was a bed propped up against one wall with a nightstand positioned next to it.  In the opposite corner sat a small table with two chairs.  Next to the table was a closed door.    There was also a 30 inch T.V. bolted to the wall above the table with metal bars protecting it.  The floor was tiled and in the center there was a hole with a three inch radius.  There was no wall across from the door, but a large glass window instead revealing the same view of Chicago as the ones on the floor below.

 

Reid was led to the center of the room and forced to stand next to the dark hole, “I…I don’t understand.  What do you want with me?”

 

The cop laughed and said, “Why to make money of course.”

 

“What do you mean?  Are you going to try to ransom me?  It won’t work…my mother is in the hospital and she has no money.  I pay for all of her expenses.   My father walked out on us when I was ten, so I doubt you’ll get anything from him.  As for me, I barely have any money in the bank due to all the bills I have to pay,” Reid explained all in one breath.

 

“No Spencer, I have other plans for you that don’t involve ransom.  Kaylee!  Get in here,” he yelled as he continued to push the gun into Reid’s back.

 

A middle aged woman entered the room a few minutes later and positioned herself so that she was standing in front of Reid.  She was a beautiful blonde woman with a body any model would want.  She was in a red dress that seemed to be painted on and her heels were a few inches high.  To top the look off she had dressed her lips in a bright red lipstick to match the sultry look she was sporting.

 

“So this is him?  He looks even better in person,” she said to Edwards.

 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.  Now get over here and hold the gun while I fasten him down,” Edwards ordered.

 

Kaylee took Edwards position and held the gun firmly.  The officer proceeded to bend down and extract a chain from the hole in the floor.  Suddenly Reid felt the cold metal of a manacle encircling his left ankle.

 

“There we go.  Now, before we leave we’re going to release you from those cuffs.  If you try anything stupid Kaylee will shoot you with the gun.  Do you get me?”

 

Reid nodded his head.

 

“Good.  Once I leave I’ll unwind the chain using the mechanism in the hall. It’ll be long enough for you to reach the bathroom,” he said as he gestured to the door by the table, “But before either of us come in here again it’ll be shortened to this length for our safety.  We’ll be back later with some food and a change of clothes for you.  At that point we’ll also talk about the letter you are going to write to your coworkers about your sudden departure from the bureau.  Do you have any questions?”

 

“I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.  I won’t do anything illegal to help you make money,” Reid said stubbornly.

 

Kaylee snickered at his response and looked over at Edwards.  He grinned back at her and turned to Reid, “My dear boy, that’s out of your hands now.  Kaylee, show him.”

 

A wide smile broke out on her face as she pulled out a small remote control from in between her breasts.  She pointed it at the T.V. screen and turned it on.

 

Reid’s eyes went wide as he realized what he was looking at.  Most of the screen was taken up by a live shot of the room they were standing in.  The other part of the display was occupied with a timer and a chat box.  The timer was slowly counting down from twelve hours and the box was frantically updating with text.

 

“What is that?” he whispered.

 

“That, my friend, is you up for auction.  See, each one of those members in that chat room are going to be watching you for the next twelve hours.  During that time and if they like what they see, they’ll get to bid on you.  When the time is up the participant with the highest bid gets to come and visit you for a night.  See, you don’t have to do anything.  We’ve got this all worked out.  Kaylee and I get the money we need to help us afford our lavish lifestyle, and our associates get to play with you.  It’s a win-win situation really,” the man said as he undid Reid’s handcuffs and led Kaylee to the door.

 

As the barrier crashed closed with a resounding thud Reid dropped to the floor.  He pulled his legs up to his chest and hid his face in his knees.  He started rocking himself back and forth as a clanking sound issued forth from the hole letting him know that the chain was being lengthened.  The normally strong genius started to cry at what seemed like a hopeless situation.


	3. Style Change

He sat there on the floor for ten minutes wallowing in fear and worry.  What was he going to do?  There was no way he was going to get out of this room.  The manacle on his ankle required a key and he had nothing available to use as a pick.  Also, the door to his prison had a lock on the knob and a heavy duty dead bolt securing it into the frame.  The window wasn’t an option because the engineers of the building would have installed reinforced glass to keep the occupants of the complex safe.

 

Reid lifted his head off of his knees and wiped his tear-stained face.  He felt foolish for breaking down so quickly, but the fact that he was up for auction caught him completely off guard.  The doctor knew that he needed to get himself together because he couldn’t let the viewers see him as weak.  The type of sickos that would frequent a site like the one he was broadcasted on would enjoy watching the mental anguish of a future victim.  He needed to be strong and show them that he could not be broken.

 

He glanced up to the barricaded television and saw his own image looking up at something.  He deduced that the camera was stationed somewhere behind him and decided to do his best to avoid looking at it.  In fact, he wanted to get out of its range all together.  His eyes landed on the bathroom door and decided that he would just hide out in there as much as he could.  That way the creeps watching his struggles would be denied their jollies and he could collect himself in private.  Hell, if he stayed in there as much as possible then perhaps they wouldn’t even bother bidding on him.

 

So, with that thought in mind Reid picked himself up off the ground and made his way over to the bathroom door.  He stopped abruptly in front of it and realized that it wasn’t a typical doorway.  There was no handle on it because it was a swinging door.  His captors must have designed it that way so their victims couldn’t barricade themselves in the bathroom.  He also noticed that the bottom right of the door had a square of wood removed, probably to allow the chain to be dragged in with the captive.

 

Reid quickly pushed his way into the bathroom and looked around.  It was a simple set up with a toilet, stand up shower, and a sink.  There were barely any toiletries available besides the essentials, toilette paper and body wash.  His kidnappers had obviously made sure that there were no potential weapons at his disposal.

 

Heaving a sigh of disdain Reid put the lid down on the toilet seat and plopped down on top of it.   Mentally, he began to give himself a pep talk.  He couldn’t let anything that was thrown at him break him.  He knew that he needed to find a way to push through everything that was going to happen.  He had to keep holding on until his team found him.

 

Speaking of his team, maybe he could write a secret message into the missive that the man wants him to transcribe to his friends.  It would be easy to conceal a hidden meaning into the letter.  He knew that his teammates would be able to find it and decipher the clues.  He was confident that once they found it they would be on their way to rescue him in no time.

 

Reid smiled at the thought of communicating with his friends.  He even began to think about how he was going to word the letter to help get his message across.  Suddenly he heard a grinding sound coming from the main room.  Moments later his left ankle jerked as the chain attached to the manacle started to retract.  He was taken so off guard that the winding of the metal pulled him off of the toilet and onto the floor.  Startled, Reid attempted to stand up so that he wouldn’t be dragged the whole way back into the main room but it was being drawn in so fast that he couldn’t even get his footing. 

 

The best he could do was scoot along with the chain as it pulled him through the swinging door and back to the center of his prison.  His ankle was throbbing by the time his journey came to an end.  The genius immediately started to rub the skin in order to help relieve some of the pain emanating from the appendage.  He hadn’t been wearing the manacle long, but the skin underneath of it already looked irritated.

 

His attention was taken away from his ankle when the door to his cell was unlocked.  His two captors walked in again.  The female, Kaylee, was carrying a tray with various objects scattered about on top of it and she had some clothing draped on her forearm.  She didn’t even acknowledge him as she walked past him and set the tray and clothes down on the table.

 

Edwards walked in after Kaylee and stayed near the door after he closed it.  Reid remained silent as he kept his eyes trained on the man.  He noticed that Edwards was clutching some paper and a pen in his hand.  This was it, his chance at getting a message out.  He needed to play along though.  He couldn’t act willing at first; it might tip them off to his plan.

 

“Don’t even think about hiding from the camera again.  If you abuse your bathroom privileges, we can easily take them away.  In fact, if you do it again we’ll keep the chain at the current length and you can spend all day and night sitting there at center stage,” Edwards said out of nowhere, quashing Reid’s hopes to stay off camera.

 

The cop smiled as he watched the boy steady his gaze on the floor to avoid making eye contact.  “Now, we’ve got some business to take care of.  First, hold out your hands in front of you,” Edwards commanded.

 

“No,” Reid said stubbornly as he tucked his hands under his armpits.

 

“I suggest you start cooperating because the consequences for your defiance are not pretty.  Now hold out your hands!” the man said with more force.

 

Spencer shook his head and refused to follow directions.

 

“Kaylee…,” Edwards said with a tilt of his head.

 

Understanding the signal, Kaylee picked up the gun she had resting on the tray and trained it on Reid, “I suggest you do what he says.”

 

“You’re not going to kill me.  You’d lose out on too much money,” Reid said continuing his obstinate streak.

 

“That may be boy, but there are places she can shoot you that can cause you a lot of pain.  Case in point, you don’t really need to walk on that foot,” Edwards gestured to the unchained appendage.

 

Kaylee, without waiting for further instruction, aimed and shot the gun.  A howl issued forth from Reid’s lips as he pulled up his foot in order to grasp it.  The genius quickly peeled off his shoe and sock in order to inspect the damage.  The girl must be a poor shot though because instead of lodging the bullet into the center of his foot it just grazed the edge.  Regardless of the shoddy shot his wound was oozing blood onto the floor.  To help staunch the flow Reid wrapped his striped orange sock around the injury and tied it tightly.

 

“Next time I won’t miss,” she said with a smirk.

 

“Get the message?  Hold out your hands!” the man said with a quiet vehemence.

 

Reid, not wanting to push it any further, raised his shaking arms.

 

The crooked cop walked over to Kaylee and grabbed the proffered metal cuffs from her hands, “We ordered these beauties from a special seller.  They serve a few purposes.”  The man walked back to his captive and started to snap them around the doctor’s bony wrists.  The locks that were built into the devises would require someone to put a numerical pattern into the tumbler in order to remove them.  “First of all, our clients will love the whole slave look on you.  Second, they’ll be able to use them while they’re playing with you.  And finally, they help us keep you in line,” Edwards explained as he pulled out new remote from his pocket and hit a button.

 

A jolt of electricity sizzled through Reid beginning at his wrists.  It caused him to fall back onto the floor from his sitting position and convulse.  When the electrical current stopped Reid opened his eyes and gasped for air.

 

“Now you know what’s going to happen whenever you refuse to follow instructions.  So don’t piss me off, because all I have to do is hit this button,” Edwards taunted the frazzled young man as he waved the remote back and forth in front of him.

 

Reid coughed and struggled to sit upright again.  His arms felt weird as the shock of the electric current faded from his system.  This was getting to be too much.

 

“So let’s get down to business.  You’ve only been on sale for about an hour and so far you’re pulling in good numbers.  But Kaylee and I think we could do even better if you were wearing something more appealing to our clientele.  Sweetheart, show him what you picked out,” Edwards gestured over to his girlfriend.

 

Kaylee nodded and grabbed the clothes off the table, “I picked out a nice pair of black leather pants to accentuate you slim legs.” She held up the pants and Reid cringed at how they gleamed in the light.  He watched as she put down the horrid pants and picked another piece of leather.

 

“I also found this awesome new steampunk vest that will cling to your chest but still keep it covered.  We’ve gotta keep some of you a mystery or else why would our clients be tempted to buy the whole package for a night,” she explained as she draped the studded vest over the back of one of the chairs.

 

“Alright, since you’ve seen your new gear why don’t you go take a shower and then put it on,” Edwards instructed after Kaylee was done with the fashion show.

 

“What? No…I’m not wearing that,” Reid protested.

 

“Really?  This again?  I thought you would have learned to cooperate by now,” the cop said as he raised up the remote and hit the button.

 

This time the shock lasted longer, at least five seconds.  Reid’s heart was thumping a mile a minute after the electricity ceased its flow.  His body ached as a consequence of the violent convulsions that ripped through it seconds before.  He moaned as he rocked onto his side and brought his legs up into the fetal position.

 

“Are you going to follow instructions now?”

 

Silence reigned as the genius tried to collect himself again.  Slowly he unfolded from his instinctual position on the floor and climbed to his feet.

 

“How?” Reid asked once he was fully erect.

 

“How what?”

 

“How do you want me to shower and change with that attached to my leg and these on my wrists?” Reid queried.

 

“Oh that…well, the cuffs aren’t going to hurt you as long as I don’t set them off while you’re in the water.  As for your leg, I’m going to release you.  But don’t get any stupid ideas into your head.  I’ll be right here waiting to reattach it when you get done,” Edwards said as he bent down to unlock the chain that had been restraining Reid.

 

The nervous agent took the clothes from Kaylee and hurried into the bathroom.  He really didn’t want to wear the leather garments, but he knew his body wouldn’t handle another round of shock very well.  So, he decided to do as he was told and got into the shower.

 

It didn’t take him long to wash his body and hair.  He really wasn’t comfortable being naked with his captor’s in the other room so the faster he showered the better.  When he was done he peaked out of the curtain to make sure the door was still shut.  He slowly crept out of the ceramic confines and grabbed a towel.  In dismay he looked at the clothes neatly folded on the top of the toilet and wished they were his usual comfortable attire.  It disgusted him to know that he would soon be dolled up in this fetish gear for all the world to see.

 

He decided to put the pants on first but stopped when he noticed that there was no underwear to put on beneath.  Feelings of nakedness coursed through his body as he realized that the only thing that would separate his private parts from the world was a thin piece of tight black leather.    He decided to reuse the pair he came here in, but quickly discovered that someone had removed his old clothes from the room while he was showering.  Gritting his teeth Reid pushed on and started to pull on the pants.  Almost immediately he grasped that no matter how much he dried his legs they were still too damp to put on the leather pants.  A battle between trousers and man ensued as he continued to force himself into the garment.

 

“Hurry up in there!” the masculine voice called through the door.

 

Reid redoubled his efforts and eventually won the war with the suffocating pants.  The leather turned out to be so close-fitting that if the boy genius had been wearing underwear its outline would have been visible through the fabric.

 

He picked up the given top and struggled to put it on too.  It was a sleeveless leather vest but it didn’t open in the front.  Instead of the typical opening there was a solid studded double breasted front piece.  As he ran his fingers along the material he could feel a stiffness running through the fabric.  Reflecting on what he knew about clothing led him to believe that there was boning sewn inside the leather to create a desired body shape for the wearer.  The back of the vest resembled a ladies corset because there was a lace enclosure that required tightening. In the end, he ended up loosening the laces in the back which allowed him to easily slip the vest over the top of his head and down around his body.

 

Reid knew that if he could see himself in a mirror that he would look ridiculous.  There was no way his body type was one that could pull off the gothic leather image these two kidnappers were trying to achieve.  For that alone, he was thankful.  Perhaps the buyers would agree with him and cease their bidding the second they got a look at him in the new clothes.

 

“Get out here now,” called and impatient Edwards.

 

Reid gingerly stepped through the swinging door and was surprised to find that Kaylee had left.

 

“Step out into the middle and let the public get a good look at ya,” his kidnapper ordered.

 

Embarrassed by his new look Reid kept his head angled down and wrapped his hands around his chest.  The next thing he knew a jolt of electricity had him down on the ground again and Edwards was reattaching the manacle.

 

“I love how easy those cuffs make controlling you.  Anytime I need something all I have to do is zap you and you’re incapacitated.  Best investment I’ve ever made,” the man chuckled as he turned Reid over with his foot so the boy was laying on his stomach trying to recover.

 

“You didn’t tighten up these laces.  No matter, I’ll do it for you,” he said as he grabbed the black cords and started pulling on them, tightening the vest around Reid’s rib cage.  It took a few minutes, but when Edwards was done the agent could barely breathe because the garment was so snug.  “I knotted those laces really well so don’t bother trying to undo them.  It’s like a corset so it’s meant to be tight,” he said as he left Reid on the floor and walked over to the table to grab a piece of paper.

 

“Now while I’m gone I want you to recopy this letter word for word.  It’s a resignation letter to your team letting them know that you are safe and happy.  It pretty much says that you’ve decided it’s time to explore other options with your life.  The conference you attended really opened your eyes to the different opportunities that are out there for you, and you think it’s time to move on.  You’ll ask them not to contact you for a while because you need a clean break.  You will contact them after you get your life settled on its new track.  Any questions?” he asked as he watched the boy stand up in his restrictive clothing.  Oh yes, this kid’s price was going to skyrocket once the creeps online got a good look at his new style.

 

“I’m not going to write that, and they wouldn’t believe it even if I did,” Reid responded feeling disappointment course through him as he realized he wouldn’t get to write the secret message he had planned.

 

“Oh yes you will,” the man said snidely.

 

“No, I won’t.  And my team will be able to spot any forgery you try to pass by them,” Reid said triumphantly confident that his friends would spot a fake letter. 

 

“Look son, you’re going to write the letter or else - ”

 

“Or else what?  You’re going to shock me?  I can take it,” Reid said boldly cutting Edwards off before he could finish his threat.

 

“Or else I’ll just sell you to the highest bidder instead of renting you out like a whore,” Edwards said as a malicious smile broke out on his face.

 

Reid immediately paled at the thought of being sold.  He couldn’t let that happen.  His team was going to have a hard enough time finding him in this Chicago high-rise.  If he got moved who knew if they would ever locate him.  The odds of being found after a kidnapping were low enough without factoring in numerous location changes.

 

“Fine…fine.  I’ll do it,” Reid conceded in defeat.  He knew that his fellow profilers would still suspect something was fishy about the letter.  He just hoped that Morgan and Emily didn’t convince the team that this was a long time coming and that they needed to let him explore the world on his own for a bit.

 

“I knew you’d see it my way.  Now, I’m going to leave everything you need here on the table.  I’ve got to go to work, so Kaylee will be back in a few hours to pick up your finished letter. By the time I get home we’ll know who your first buyer is and then we’ll have to get ready for their visit.  So I suggest you eat your food and get some rest while you can,” the crooked cop said as he made his way out the door.

 

Spencer watched once again as the door slammed closed behind his abductor.  Worry started to gnaw in his stomach at the prospect of what was to come.  In a matter of hours he was going to be used like a toy for someone’s pleasure.  Luckily the chain had been unwound enough to allow him to reach the toilette, for the genius’s stomach had begun to rebel at the thought of his future in this room.

 

When he came out of the bathroom he made his way over to the dinette set and moved a chair so that his back was to the camera.  On the table waiting for him was a legal pad, a pen, the prewritten letter, a bottle of water, and what Reid assumed was his dinner.  Reid read through the letter that Edwards had written and knew that there was no way he could add his own message to it. 

 

He then glanced at the food but instantly knew that he wouldn’t be able to eat it.  On the plate lay a piece of broiled whitefish, spinach, and half a lemon.  Apparently they wanted him to eat healthy, probably to help him maintain his lithe figure.  He pushed the food away and brought the legal pad forward so that he could start writing.

 

Suddenly an idea popped into his head.  He looked up at the television saw that with his back to the camera no one could make out what he was doing at the table.  He then reached for the lemon and set to work on his farfetched plan.  He knew it was a longshot but if it paid off he would be home in a matter of days.


	4. Preparations

Reid sat silently on the floor and kept his gaze steady on the T.V. screen that was counting down the auction.  His back was propped up against the side of the bed and his legs were pulled up against his chest.  The chain was biting into his ankle because it was stretched out it its limit.  Earlier when Kaylee came in to get the letter that he had copied she had retracted the chain a bit.  Unfortunately, she neglected to let it out after she left.  Since then he had been sitting on the floor contemplating his situation and hoping that the team picked up on the message he sent. 

 

The timer on the television was only seconds away from zero and Reid was getting more and more nervous.  The comments that were popping up in the chat box all throughout the day were increasing in vulgarity and painting a bad image in his head.  It seemed that every creep out there wanted a piece of him and each in their own unique way.  The problem with the televised auction was that he couldn’t tell which sicko was winning the bidding.  All that was shown on the screen was the current offer, which seemed to change every ten seconds.

 

Right now there were only five seconds left and the going rate for Reid was five thousand dollars.  After a quick beep the screen amount changed to five thousand five hundred and then it started flashing multiple times.  The auction was over and he had been sold out like a whore.

 

All of a sudden the screen on the wall shut off along with the lights in the room.  The genius was enshrouded in an all-encompassing darkness.  He let out a little whimper at the sudden lack of light and tried to clutch his knees closer to his body.

 

Breathing evenly to avoid a panic attack he forced himself to sit there in the darkness and waited for his eyes to adjust.  Ever so slowly the objects in the room began to develop in his field of vision and he started to glance around the room hoping to see a light switch.  The young agent struggled to get up off the floor, changing his position for the first time in hours.  He decided that he was just going to have to feel along the walls until he found a light source to help alleviate the fear that was threatening to take him over.

 

He decided to start searching on the wall where the entrance was located.  He was about two feet from his destination when the shackle on his ankle pulled up short.  If he stretched out his arms he could reach the wall, but there was no point because even his lengthy appendages couldn’t reach across the distance that separated him from the wall.

 

Frustrated and annoyed, Reid continued to walk around the room hoping to find a way to illuminate it.  During his walk he noticed that the chain was much shorter than he had thought because he couldn’t even get into the bathroom if the need arose.  Within minutes he gave up his search, realizing that there was no way for him to ease the darkness.

 

Figuring that he would live, especially since the moon and stars were helping shed some light into the room, Reid tried to get as close to the window as possible.  Since he was on a short leash right now he laid down on his stomach and stretched his body out so that his head was almost smack dab against the cool glass.  He pushed his worries about what was to come out of his mind and allowed his thoughts to wander as he gazed out at the vibrant city.  Below him he could see the lights of the cars that were stuck in traffic on Michigan Avenue and if he squinted his eyes enough he could discern small people walking about with their purchases.  There were no high-rises right across from the building he was stuck in, but there were some kitty-corner.  He was able to look into the lit up windows and watch as the citizens of Chicago went about their evening.

 

While he was laying there he wondered if the window to his prison was reflective.  Or could the people across the way see him if the lights were on?  Is that why Edwards and Kaylee made sure to leave him in the dark?

 

He laid there for a while using his fingers to trace patterns on the glass.  How long would it take the team to figure out his message?  Would they even get it?  How would he get out of here if they didn’t?

 

His questions went unanswered as the door to his glass cage opened behind him allowing the light from the hallway to flood into the room.  Reid flipped over onto his back and propped himself up on his elbows.  The genius watched as Edwards walked in slowly and flipped on the switch that had been out of his reach.  A smirk appeared on the cop’s face when he saw his money maker sprawled out on the floor.

 

“Already prepared for your visitor?”

 

Reid scowled and sat up the rest of the way.

 

“The auction is over and your first customer will be here in a few hours.  Did you get any rest?  Cause you’re gonna need the energy,” Edwards said as he tossed the tethered young man a bottle of water.

 

Reid caught the water and twisted it open.  He hadn’t realized until that moment how thirsty he was.  The refreshing liquid was cool on his tongue and quenched the dryness in his throat.  After a few sips he set it aside and decided to ask Edwards a question.

 

“Are…are you really a cop?  Or did you steal the car in order to fool your victims?” Reid asked.

 

“I’m a legitimate member of the Chicago PD.  In fact, I specialize in sexually based crimes.  It’s what led me to you, actually,” Edwards explained.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, I happened to attend that seminar you gave in Chicago a week ago.  I found your speech very interesting.  It’s what gave me the idea to cater our website toward unique sexual preferences.  You see, after listening to you describe all the crazy things that turn people on I formulated the idea to advertise to those special individuals.  Let me tell you, marketing is everything.  Your first auction got me more money than the rest of my previous whores’ first jobs combined.  All I had to do was get the word of mouth out in the right chat rooms and bingo…Kaylee and I are making an easy five grand.  I might have to go out and get me a few more whores if you keep selling this well,” the corrupt cop laughed as he gloated about his good fortune.

 

“I’m not a whore,” Reid spat out venomously.

 

“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

 

“How can you…how can you do this and be a cop at the same time?  You took the Oath of Honor.  You’re abusing your power for money,” Reid said incredulously as he took another deep swig from the water bottle.

 

“Ha!  You think that oath is something that weighs on my mind.  It was just a formality I had to deal with in order to get a job.  People swear things every single day and they don’t mean it…I’m no different.  Besides…all those movies about crooked cops got it right.  It is a lot more profitable to be on the wrong side of the law, not to mention more fun,” Edwards said.

 

“I’m not going to cooperate!  I’m going to make…make…I’m…,” Reid began to feel a strange feeling tingling through his body that disrupted the valiant speech he was about to make.

 

“Ahh…feeling the effects of the drugs now aren’t we?” the officer asked with a smile.

 

“What…d..id…y…,” Reid couldn’t even finish his question as he felt his body slump over onto the floor.

 

“What did I give you?  Well, I forgot the name of it but I know it’s a neuromuscular blocker.  So, as I’m sure you know, you won’t be able to move for a little bit.  Now don’t worry, it’s going to wear off before the client gets here.  But…well…he may be interested in using some more on you.  We’ll see.  I just thought it would be a good idea to use it now so Kaylee and I could get you into character,” Edwards said as he walked over to Reid and nudged the genius’s prone body onto his back with his foot.

 

“Kaylee!  Get in here with the gear.  He’s out,” he yelled to his girl.

 

Kaylee bustled in not long after his shout with an armful of objects.

 

“Do you have the clothes?”

 

“Yeah, they’re right here sweetie.  I’ve got the bindings and the chains too,” she said as she dumped everything down on the floor next to Reid.

 

“Alright, start getting his pants off and I’ll work on his shirt,” he ordered her after he had unlocked the cuff from around Reid’s ankle.

 

“Of course you would make me do the pants…you know they’re going to be a bitch getting off,” she grumbled as she undid the zipper on the leather garment.

 

Reid could feel blood rushing to his face as he realized that his two captors were about to undress him.  Even though he knew all there was about neuromuscular blockers he still tried to force his body to fight against their prying hands.  It was no use though and he had to just lay their complacently while his dignity was stripped away along with his clothes.

 

Eventually his one barrier between his skin and the outside world was completely removed and he was laid out naked on the floor.  He silently watched as Kaylee picked up a black leather vest and handed it to Edwards.  The cop made quick work of outfitting the agent in his new top.  Meanwhile, Kaylee was forcing a pair of small black boxer-briefs onto his lower half.

 

“Okay, I’m going to flip him and we need to do up his arms and legs,” Reid heard Edwards explain to Kaylee.

 

He felt his body flip over onto his stomach as his face smashed into the floor.  Someone, probably Kaylee, was kind enough to turn his head so that he was facing the large window.  He could feel his arms being pulled behind his back and fastened together by the joining of the two shock bracelets.  He thought that would be it but then he felt a rope being wrapped around his forearms over and over again until it reached his elbows.  His arms were pulled so closely together that his shoulders were already starting to protest against the strain put upon them.

 

His legs from the ankle to the knee were given the same treatment, so that when he did finally gain control of his body again there would be no way he could move.

 

Reid was taken by surprise when Edwards grabbed his armpits and started to drag him across the room.  Kaylee ran and opened the door wider for her man and his bundle.  She followed them out of the prison and ran ahead of them to get the door to the next chamber.  As the paralyzed genius was being dragged he realized that he was being taken to one of the rooms that occupied the same hall as his cell.

 

The new room that Reid was taken into was set up similarly to his own, except that the décor was something straight out of a gothic movie.  It was draped in red velvet which gave the room an eerie glow when the lights were shining.  The four poster bed was king sized and the cherry wood had intricate swirls carved into it.  Running along the bathroom wall was a matching couch and footstool.  The last detail that stood out was the amount of d-rings and chains scattered in strategic places throughout the room.  If he could have, Reid would have shuddered at the thought of what those were going to be used for tonight.

 

The kidnappers quickly dragged their prisoner over into the corner of the room and unceremoniously dropped onto the ground next to a d-ring.  The brown eyed boy was roughly forced up onto his knees and his behind was settled upon his ankles.  He could feel as they looped something around the bracelets and then a tug signaling that it was attached to the d-ring on the ground.  Next, he felt a collar encircle his neck and a similar pull as it too was fastened to the ring on the floor.

 

His abductors stood back and admired their work.

 

Edwards moved forward and grabbed Reid’s hair and jerked his head up so that he could look him in the eye, “Try not to tip over.  The client wants you in that exact position when he arrives.”

 

“Oh, by the way…I just thought you would like to know that according to your seminar last week, you are about to get the distinct pleasure of spending a night with an Agalmatophiliac.  Enjoy,” the man said with a sneer as he put his hand on the small of Kaylee’s back and exited the room.


	5. Agalmatophilia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please heed the tags if you have triggers. If you've never read this story, just know that I'm not very kind to Reid and it's going to be dark and twisted from here on out.

Reid was absolutely scared.  Here he was bound and chained to the floor with no way to get free.  His body was numb and the only thing that seemed to be working were his eyes.  He was able to move them around to see the objects that were in his field of vision.

 

He couldn’t believe that he had gotten himself into another precarious situation again.  All he was doing was attending a conference and BAM…he wound up the victim of an online pimp.  The conference must have been a ruse to get him to come out this way again.  He should have used his head and checked on whether it was a legitimate thing before he even booked his plane ticket.

 

But no…instead he naively but his faith in other human beings and took the tiny invitation as the real deal.  Maybe he deserved what happened to him.  He really shouldn’t be given the title of genius if he fell for something so obvious.

 

Now all he could do is sit here and wait to be rescued by his friends…again.   But would they even look for him?  He did write that letter as instructed.  So would they too take the piece of paper for the real deal and not investigate any further?  Would they be able to find his hidden message?

 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there on his knees but eventually he felt a tingling sensation begin to travel through his appendages.  While he couldn’t see them he was sure his fingers were twitching behind his back.  The drug was finally wearing off.

 

Reid focused his brain on forcing his body to move.  He knew it wouldn’t matter since he was tightly bound with rope but the idea of having some control was appealing.  As time passed he was able to get his toes and fingers to wiggle, and his head to turn.  He even tried to sit up off his ankles but the collar connecting him to the d-ring on the ground was already stretched to the limit.  The restricted genius was finally at a point where he could observe his surroundings better than earlier.

 

One of the first details he took in was the under the mattress restraint system set up on the bed.  The nightstand had a tray on it that looked like it had a vial and needles waiting for future use.  Off in the corner was a brown chest that gave no clue as to what was contained inside of it.  The window was framed by red velvet curtains that matched the bed spread and hanging down from the curtain rod were more chains.  The room was a dream for anyone turned on by BDSM.

 

Out of nowhere the door to his prison opened and Reid turned his head to see what awaited him.  Two men walked into the room, one was Edwards and the agent figured that the other was the client, the Agalmatophiliac.  From his research Reid knew that this man was turned on by statues, dolls or mannequins.  He was going to want Reid to be his literal plaything.

 

The new man was about 6 feet 4 inches tall and pushing 250 pounds.  He had dark curly hair wrapping around his head, but the top of it was completely bald.  He had beady brown eyes that were practically nonexistent when he squinted.  The man was dressed in business casual attire that screamed office lackey and who got little respect.  He held in his hand a brown bag that a mother would use when packing her child’s lunch.

 

Edwards was in the middle of explaining something when the two stopped just over the threshold, “ – we should have anything else you might need in that chest over there.”

 

The man nodded and fixed his gaze on the bound prisoner sitting in the corner.  Reid would see a glint of happiness sparkle in the man’s eyes the second he took in Reid’s appearance.  The genius knew it was pointless to speak at the moment so he remained silent and plastered a defiant look upon his face.

 

“Why isn’t he gagged like I asked?” the man asked in the deep baritone voice.

 

“What?” Edwards asked slightly startled by the question.

 

“When I left instructions on how I wanted him to be prepared I specified that he be gagged.  Where is it?”

 

“Oh…I’m sorry sir.  My partner neglected to inform me of that detail,” Edwards said.  “We do have a wide variety available for you to choose from over in the chest.  I also left some more of the drug on the nightstand for you to utilize as you deem fit.”

 

The man grunted and walked over the stand to inspect the drugs.  He placed his brown bag down and said, “How much time do I have again?”

 

“You have five hours.  I will come and get you when your time is up.  Here is a key to the door if you need to leave for any reason.  Wear it around your neck in order to keep it out of the kid’s hands.  If you need anything else please use the P.A. over here by the door.  Just press the button and we will be able to hear your request.  Other than that I just have to ask that you don’t do any irreparable damage to the whore.  I like to keep my merchandise in good working condition,” Edwards explained as he closed the door, locking it behind him.

 

Silence reigned over the room for a few minutes after Edwards left.  Both men were scrutinizing the other but for different reasons.  Reid was trying to figure out if the next five hours were going to be as bad as his mind had imagined, and the man was trying to decide what to do first with his purchase.

 

The trance the seemed to have settled over the room was broken when the man quickly walked over to the chest and opened it up.  He scrounged around in its contents for a few minutes and finally pulled out the object he had been looking for, a ring gag.

 

He turned around and made his way over to the imprisoned agent.  Reid saw the gag dangling from the man’s hand and couldn’t help the plea that escaped his lips, “Please, I’ll be quiet.  You don’t need to use that.”

 

For the first time, the client allowed an expression to grace his face, one of glee.  Without responding to Reid’s entreaty he brought forth the gag and started trying to fasten it.

 

Reid turned his head back and forth in order to make it difficult for the man to put it on him.  He was surprised when he felt the back of the man’s hand smack against his cheek.  He let out a cry of surprise and had to blink his eyes a few times to dispel the dots that started to swim in his field of vision.

 

“This isn’t going to work.  Dolls aren’t supposed to resist,” the buyer said as he made his way over the nightstand and grabbed a syringe and vial.

 

“No…no more drugs.  Please don’t do this!  I’m not a willing participant to this.  I’m an FBI agent and these people kidnapped me.  If you go through with this you’re going to be in so much trouble.  But, if you help me escape I’ll make sure that your sentence is reduced or nonexistent.  Ple-,” his appeal was cut off by the syringe being plunged into the side of his neck.

 

“Dolls don’t talk either,” the man said as he threw the needle onto the ground.

 

Due to the drug being injected this time instead of ingested via water the effects were practically instantaneous.  The numbing feeling flooded through Reid’s body as he lost his ability to talk and move.

 

He couldn’t resist now as the man took the ring gag and thrust the metal circle into his mouth.  He felt the man manipulate his jaw, opening it wide enough to put the metal behind his teeth.  In no time it was fastened around his head and stretching his mouth out in a painful and humiliating manner.

 

Now at the mercy of this daunting man, Reid could only sit there and wait to see what would happen next.

 

“That’s better.  I knew it the moment I saw you on my computer that you would make an excellent doll.  We are going to have so much fun tonight.  Why don’t we get started?  Oh, call me Tony sweetheart,” the man now known as Tony said as he cupped Reid’s cheek and brushed his thumb against it in a loving manner.

 

Reid could feel the man undoing the chains that were holding him firmly to the ground.  Tony picked him up bridal style and carried him over to the couch.  He gently placed him on the cushion and sat down beside him.  Knowing that his puppet was powerless he proceeded to undo the bindings that were keeping his living figurine’s arms and legs tied up together.  Finally, the man positioned his doll so that its hands were sitting splayed out on his thighs and his face was turned toward him.

 

Then, Tony scooted in close to Reid and started to pet his hair, “You are so beautiful.  I haven’t been with someone as enchanting as you in a long time.  You can’t imagine how good it felt to win some time with you.  I promise that you are going to thoroughly enjoy our night together.  Now be a dear and get down on your knees.”

 

The doll enthusiast picked the prone young man up beneath his arm pits and guided him onto the floor facing the couch.  Tony than proceeded to take off his pants and underwear.  Once he was naked from the waist down he sat back on the cushion with Reid positioned between his legs.

 

“Okay baby, take it all,” he said as he grabbed Reid’s hair and brought the boy’s face into his crotch.

 

It didn’t take long for the man to make full use of the ring gag.  The genius felt tears cascade down his cheek as he was violated against his will.  The man let out disgusting moans of pleasure with every thrust.  Reid’s head was forced to move back and forth by the man’s beefy hand in order to assist the metal ring with administering pleasure.  The grip on his brown locks tightened as he was pushed all the way down on the man’s penis.  Tony let out an, “Nghhhhhh!” as he ejaculated down his doll’s throat.

 

Still stuck between the fetishist’s thighs, Reid could hear him panting as the pleasure coursed through him, “Oh baby, you were so good.  I loved the look of enjoyment in your eyes as you made me happy.  We were made for each other.”

 

Finally, Tony pulled out of Reid’s mouth and petted his hair again, “Come on now…we’ve still got so much to do.”

* * *

 

 

Time seemed to drag as the man manipulated Reid’s body over the next four hours.  Anytime that Reid’s body showed any sign of independent movement Tony would inject him again with the drug.  The man truly felt that Reid was his doll and controlled his body as such.

 

Tony almost reverted back into a childlike mind frame at times.  He took time out to brush Reid’s hair, change Reid’s clothes, and even talk for Reid.  He would even spend a few minutes on maneuvering Reid’s body into arrangements that fitted any new location that they relocated to throughout the room.

 

In direct contrast to the childishness, Tony would also release the sexual deviant inside of him.  At random times during the night his alter personality would emerge and want to play.  For instance, when they were lying on the bed together while Tony talked about his day the man suddenly got bored and started fondling Reid’s body.  He would twist the pink pert nipples with one hand and trail his other one down to the genius’s manhood and grope it. 

 

On another occasion Tony once again took advantage of the ring gag but in order to give Reid pleasure.  He stuck a plastic phallic object into the circle and turned on its vibrating feature.  While the machine was assaulting the boy’s mouth he went down and got him off. 

 

The worst thing that he had to endure was being hooked up to the manacles hanging from the curtain rod while being utterly naked.  Reid sincerely hoped that the glass was mirrored on the outside because he didn’t want to be exposed to the whole cityscape beneath him.  After he was sufficiently trussed up Tony proceeded to hit him with a paddle that left little heart imprints upon every impact.

 

As they reached the last half hour of their time together the only words that could describe how Reid felt was emotionally drained.  He had been violated in multiple ways and at no time had there been any chance of preventing it from happening.  He just wanted it to end and for this sick man to go away. 

 

“I’ve got one more thing that I want to do with you sweetheart,” Tony said in his sickeningly sweet way.  “I think it will be memorable for us both.”

 

The frozen Reid just laid there on the bed as Tony went once again over to the chest and rummaged through it, “Ah…this will do nicely.”

 

The Agalmatophiliac came back with what looked like some sort of restraint system, “This will make positioning you much easier.”

 

It turned out that Tony had selected thigh cuffs that came with specialized loops attached to the outside of each one.  He went to work strapping them on Reid’s skinny legs and then pushed the boy over onto his stomach.  The genius felt his body being forced up onto his knees and he realized what the culminating activity was going to be.  If he could have he would have been thrashing about and screaming in protest, but all he could do was lay there silently and cry.  Heedless of his toy’s unhappiness, Tony finished binding his doll by taking the agent’s wrists and securing them to the extra cuffs on each thigh.

 

“You look absolutely amazing from this point of view,” Tony murmured into Reid’s ear as he bent over the bound body.  “Don’t worry, I brought some lube…,” he uttered as he reached over to the brown bag and pulled out a small bottle of clear fluid.

 

Without even realizing it, Reid scrunched up his face and a sob escaped his lips.  The drug was starting to wear off again but it wasn’t going to matter.

 

Quickly, Tony situated prepared his victim to help make the entrance smoother.  He lined up his body with the prone doll and wasted no time in penetrating the boy’s hole.  A cry erupted from Reid’s lips as pain overwhelmed his body.  The client behind him was panting and gyrating trying to achieve the ultimate pleasure while delivering searing sensations through Reid’s body.  The agent could feel a familiar prickling sensation begin to take over his body as feeling was returning once again.  Taking advantage of regaining control Reid forced his body to lunge forward.  Tony, taken by surprise, stopped his movements.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” the man cried as he reached forward and forced Reid’s body back into position with a steely grip.

 

“Please…,” Reid whimpered trying to appeal to the man’s senses but it was to no avail.  Weakened and overpowered he had no choice but to allow the man to finish his mission.  His face was pushed into the pillow beneath him as the thrusts became fiercer.  The genius clenched his fists as the man above him called out in ecstasy releasing his seed into his captive’s cavity while he tightened his grip until it was sure to leave bruises on the boy’s pale skin.

 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Edward’s voice came over the intercom saying, “Five more minutes.”

 

“Perfect timing,” Tony muttered as he left Reid in his compromising position on the bed.

 

The man went about his business cleaning up his body and getting dressed.  Spencer, whose face was still crushed into the pillow turned his head to see the man about to exit.

 

“Wait!  What about me?” he called out, not wanting to be left bound with his bare ass in the air.

 

“Oh right,” the man walked over and planted a messy kiss onto Reid’s mouth.  “You were the most amazing doll I’ve ever had the pleasure of fucking.  You can rest assured that I am going to be bidding on you again.  Goodbye, my love,” with that Tony walked out the door and left the genius in mental shambles.

* * *

 

 

After about ten minutes the door opened again and Edwards walked into the room.  Reid flushed in embarrassment at what he must look like.

 

“I’ve gotta tell you I’ve never had a more satisfied customer.  He had nothing but good things to say about you,” Edwards said gleefully as he went about releasing Reid’s wrists.

 

“Please, let me go.  I…I can’t do this again.  It isn’t right,” Reid murmured weakly as the man picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

 

“I’ve already told you that right and wrong aren’t a factor here.  It’s all about the money.  Besides, with the footage I took of you two tonight, your price is going to skyrocket.  Kaylee is figuring out how to splice it into your auction footage as we speak.  I said it once and I’ll say it again, you are going to make us a fortune!”


	6. Resignation

Edwards was able to easily carry Reid back into his prison without a fight.  The genius was still suffering from the effects of the drugs that had been running rampant through his body all night.  While Reid was able to control his limbs, his movements were weak and uncoordinated.  The officer plopped the boy down in the middle of the bed and went to fetch the manacle.  Reid, trying to take advantage of the few seconds of freedom he had, tried to flip off the cot.  Unfortunately, he found that he couldn’t even turn onto his side and in no time Edwards was reattaching the restraint to Spencer’s ankle.

 

The crooked cop smiled down at his prisoner and pushed back the stray hair that was blocking the boy’s eyes, “I have some good news for you.”

 

Reid, refusing to respond, just looked at the man with hate in his eyes.

 

“You get the rest of today and tomorrow off.  We’ve decided to give you some time to recover from last night’s events. Seeing as it was your first client I figured your body might need more time to recuperate.  So the next auction won’t start until Tuesday,” Edwards explained as he turned to walk out the door.

 

“I won’t do that again,” Reid whispered to the man’s muscular back.

 

His captor halted his steps and turned around with a bright smile on his face. “That’s where you’re wrong.  You don’t have a choice.  You’re going to be my whore until you stop bringing in money.”

 

“No…I won’t,” Reid said a bit more forcefully.

 

“Oh yeah…and how are you going to prevent it?  Did you forget that you are currently chained up and at my mercy?  Or how about the fact that I can just do this?” Edwards asked as he pushed the button on the remote control that he pulled out of his pocket.

 

Spencer cried out as jolts of electricity rocked his body, originating at his wrists.

 

“I can easily incapacitate you whenever I want.  I have electricity, drugs, and let’s not forget I outweigh you by at least a hundred pounds.  No boy…get this silly idea of resistance out of your head and start to accept your position.  You’ve got a long road ahead of you if you don’t.”

 

“I’m never going to accept the fact that I’m being sold to the highest bidding sexual deviant out there.  I am going to fight you over everything.  I am not going to make this easy for you,” Reid said vehemently, “And when my friends do finally come and release me from this hell-hole, you are going to regret ever messing with the BAU.”

 

Edwards, still smirking in amusement, approached his captive’s bed and grabbed the kid’s wrists.  He forced them above his head and laughed as he saw panic light Spencer’s eyes.  He savored the pleasure that he received from watching the boy struggle beneath him.  Edwards suddenly leaned down and planted a forceful kiss on Reid’s lips, biting the bottom and drawing blood, “No one is coming to rescue you.  You quit your job and left your team in the dust.  They are never going to come and find you.  In fact, they are probably mad at you for leaving them so abruptly.  Face it, you belong to me now.”

 

“No, they will find me,” Spencer whispered tearfully as he turned his head away from the menacing man.

 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Edwards said mirthfully as he licked tearstained face beneath him, “Hmm…you do taste as good as Tony said.”  With that the man released the boy’s bony wrists and walked out the door.

 

Spencer didn’t turn his head away from the wall until he heard the door close with a resounding thump.  Once he was sure he was alone he brought his weakened forearms to his face and laid them across his eyes.  He groaned in frustration as he felt uncontrollable tears cascade down his face.

 

He couldn’t believe that it was only the second day of his captivity and he already felt so helpless and despondent.  How could so many terrible things happen in a little over twenty-four hours?  He had been kidnapped, humiliated, auctioned, raped and assaulted multiple times by a man obsessed with dolls.  If his situation was already this bad, he hated to think about how it could get worse.

 

He laid there for a few minutes dwelling on his worries before he finally realized that there was a cold breeze chilling his body.  He ripped his arms away from his face and looked down to see that his form was fully exposed to the cold room.  He had forgotten that he was naked and laying exposed to the world.

 

Reid moved his hand around the bed trying to find a blanket to cover his nakedness but came up empty handed.  There were no sheets or coverings to shield him from the camera’s lens.  He decided that he needed to get to the only safe haven available, the bathroom.  He desperately needed a shower anyways, and maybe Kaylee had left him something clean to wear.

 

The naked genius pushed himself off the bed and immediately collapsed to his knees.  The second he had tried to stand a fierce pain radiated from his backside and caused him to cry out in pain.  It wasn’t surprising since his recent experience with Tony had been his first with a man.  There was probably some tearing and he wasn’t shocked to see a bit of blood staining the mattress that he had just vacated.

 

Pushing through the pain, Reid forced himself to his feet.  He covered his genitals with his hands while he staggered through the swinging door.  Disappointment engulfed him when he saw that the bathroom was devoid of clothes.

 

Knowing that there was nothing else that he could do, he turned on the shower and climbed into the small glass cube.  The captive scrubbed and scrubbed his body with the soap hoping to remove any traces of what Tony had done to him.  He stayed in the shower until it started to run cold.  By that time his body was red from how harshly he had scoured and he had caused some patches of skin to bleed.

 

Once he got out he gave his mouth the same treatment using the toothbrush and paste that had been left for him.  As he focused on cleaning his teeth he couldn’t help but to flashback to the moment the man had roughly shoved his member into Reid’s hijacked mouth.  Remembering the taste and feeling of the man’s penis caused Spencer to start choking which led to him throwing up in the toilet.

 

A sob escaped his lips as he wiped away the bile that clung to his face.  The sudden flashback had a domino effect in his memory and caused many more to start cascading to the forefront of his mind.  He couldn’t stop the vicious memories from assaulting his brain and what was once small sobs had now turned into heaving cries of despair. 

 

He wasn’t sure how long he was sprawled out on the bathroom floor weeping, but eventually his cries died down and he was left sniveling in the fetal position.  A loud thump jolted the broken genius out of his thoughts.  Deciding to see what it was, he slowly pulled himself up off the cold tile and shuffled out of his sanctuary.  While the door to the bathroom swung shut behind him, he took in the empty room and realized that the sound he heard was the retreating of one of his captors.

 

He must have spent longer in the bathroom than he thought because the room had grown dark.  On the table under the T.V. was a tray of food that was steaming hot.  His stomach did a flip at the thought of entertaining any sustenance so he wisely left it alone.

 

Instead he hobbled over to the window and sat down facing the rain soaked city.  He tucked his legs underneath him and kept his back to the door and camera.  The cold manacle that was encasing his ankle scraped against his bottom and caused him to kick his foot out away from his body.  He didn’t want another reminder of how helpless he was in this prison.  The miserable genius laid his forehead against the cool pane of glass and splayed his hand out on the window next to him.  It was almost like he was trying to reach out for help to the oblivious metropolitan below him.  Reid remained like that for another few hours and by the time he moved his body to the bed it was difficult to distinguish between the tears and rain that streaked down the window.

* * *

 

 

Agent Hotcher got into the office uncharacteristically late on Monday morning.  It had been a rough wake up due to the fact that Jack had been extremely stubborn while getting ready.  Perhaps his son was coming down with something, because the boy was usually a ball of energy the second the alarm went off.

 

Never one to shy away from his mistakes, Hotch walked into the bull pen with his head held high.  After all, he was human too and being late wasn’t the end of the world.  The stern agent was immediately greeted with a smart-ass remark from Morgan who happened to walk out of the kitchen with his steaming cup of coffee, “Well, it’s about time you decided to join us.  I thought you and pretty boy had come up with a plan to play hooky today.”

 

“I have been known to be late once every ten years,” Hotch remarked as he made his way to the stairs.

 

Morgan followed after him on his way to his own office, “So where is the genius?”

 

“Why would I know?  He isn’t here yet?” Hotch asked not really concerned with his usually punctual agent’s lateness.

 

“No, that’s why I thought you two had conspired to take the day off,” Morgan smirked knowing that nothing like that would ever happen.

 

“He probably missed his subway train again.  I’m sure he’ll be in soon.  Why don’t you give him a call if you’re so worried,” Hotch suggested.

 

“Maybe I will…he was supposed to call me this weekend and he never did.  I’ll give him fifteen more minutes before I try.  You know how he hates to be babied,” Morgan muttered as he went into his office and closed the door behind him.

 

“Umhm…,” Hotch murmured absentmindedly as he too walked into his office.

 

Aaron hung his jacket on the coatrack by his door and made his way over to his desk.  He stopped short when he spotted the overnighted package sitting innocently on his desk.  With curiosity he checked the return address and saw that it was from Chicago.  He retrieved his mail opener from the top desk drawer and cut through the tape that was keeping the box sealed.

 

His brow furrowed when he realized what was inside the package: a gun, a FBI issued cell phone, credentials, and a note.  He slowly picked up the gun and set it aside.  He knew without looking whose credentials were sitting at the bottom of the cardboard box, for only one person carried such a distinctive gun…Reid.  So his hand found its way to the note and unfolded it slowly.  His eyes quickly flitted over the words on the pages as he digested their meaning.

 

He felt himself drop into the chair behind his desk.  How was he going to tell the team that their favorite genius had decided to just up and leave them without any warning?  This whole thing was so sudden, but not a total surprise.  He had noticed that the boy had been bothered about something lately.  But the unit chief had just thought that if he left him alone, then Reid would work out whatever was bothering him. 

 

Apparently he did.

 

Hotch picked up the phone on his desk, called Garcia and told her to gather the team.

* * *

 

Within ten minutes they were all seated around the round table quietly talking amongst themselves.  None of them could fathom why their unit chief had called a sudden meeting, especially since Garcia said that there weren’t any new cases.

 

Their voices hushed as Hotched walked in holding a small box in his hands.  He cleared his voice and began, “I called you all here because this morning I received some news that is going to really affect our team.”

 

Morgan, taking advantage of the pause in Hotch’s words cut in, “Wait…shouldn’t you wait for Reid to get here before dropping a bomb?”

 

“Actually, this is about Reid.”

 

Garcia piped up quickly and asked, “What about Reid?  Is my baby genius in danger?  Oh my god!  Did he get injured again?  Where is he?  Which hospital?”

 

Hotch held up his hand to stop her tizzy before it turned into a whirling dervish, “Calm down Garcia.  Reid isn’t hurt or in any danger.”

 

“Than what is it?” JJ asked.

 

“I found this package sitting on my desk when I walked into my office this morning.  Inside it contained Reid’s gun, his cell phone, credentials and resignation.  I’m sorry to inform you that as of now Spencer Reid no longer works for the FBI,” Hotch said seriously.

 

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments.

 

“This is a joke.  Right?” Morgan said breaking the stunned atmosphere.

 

“No, it’s not a joke.  He sent a note explaining his decision and asked us not to contact him for a while.  Here is the note. You can read it for yourself,” Hotch said as he offered the document to the angry agent.

 

Morgan snatched it out of his hand and quickly set to reading it.  Garcia, just as shocked at the revelation crept up behind Morgan and read it over his shoulder.  Tears started to track down her face as she realized that this was for real and that one of her best friends had just left without a word.

 

“No…no way.  He wouldn’t do this.  Reid would never just up and leave without talking to us first.  And there is no way in hell that he would do it in a note.  Not after the way Gideon left us,” Morgan said aloud after he finished the note and passed it to Rossi.

 

“I agree with Morgan.  Reid was way too traumatized by Gideon’s departure that he would never just leave us note.  He values us more than this,” JJ chimed in as she got her hands on the piece of paper.

 

“Uh guys…I hate to say this, but I think that it’s the real deal,” Prentiss said as she passed the note back to Hotch.

 

All eyes in the room turned to her.  Morgan’s eyes were incredulous, Rossi and Hotch’s were curious, JJ and Garcia both looked devastated.

 

“Explain,” Rossi prompted.

 

“Well, you all remember the case we just had in San Fancisco with the Zodiac Killer copycats?” Emily asked.

 

They all nodded their heads and waited for her to continue.

 

“Well, Reid and I had just attended that conference in Chicago and he admitted to me that he was having doubts about his choice in career,” Emily explained.

 

“Wait Prentiss, I know where you’re going with this…Do you really think that Reid would make such a big decision without confiding in one of us?” Morgan interrupted.

 

“Morgan, let her finish,” Hotch chided, “Emily, go on.”

 

“Well…Reid basically said to me that he wasn’t sure if he was meeting his potential.  He had thought that by now he would have cured schizophrenia and so on.  He was really questioning if the FBI was holding him back from doing greater things,” Emily said.

 

“So, Reid has been thinking about this..,” Rossi trailed off.

 

“Yeah, but I made him promise to call me with his final decision.  I haven’t heard from him all weekend.  He would never leave me high and dry like that,” Morgan argued.

 

“Well, think about it from his point of view.  He knew that we would all be upset and the kid hates conflict.  He knew that if he sent a letter to Hotch and asked us not to contact him that our fearless leader would make sure that happened.  You all know that Reid is so much younger than us and that it isn’t uncommon for people his age to want to find themselves.  In fact, I’m surprised it took him so long in the first place.  He grew up way to fast and made too many big decisions at such a young age.  I think we should respect his choice and let the youngster explore the world without us jading his opinion,” Rossi lectured the group of upset profilers.

 

“Rossi is right.  Especially now that Emily enlightened us to the fact that he has been contemplating this for a while now.  We need to understand that he is an adult and that he can come to his own conclusions about what is best for him.  We need to honor his wishes and leave him alone.  He will come back to us when he is good and ready,” Hotch said in agreement to his fellow senior profiler.

 

“But Hotch!” Garcia almost wailed.

 

“No Garcia, I’m serious.  I don’t want you to track him down.  He made his wishes clear.  We have to let him go free.  He’ll come back to us when he is ready,” Hotch said as he concluded the conversation with a finality.

 

Morgan bolted out of his seat and left the room in a huff showing the room that he clearly did not agree with his boss’s ruling.  Garcia quickly bustled out after him, probably intent on going to comfort and talk to her favorite man about the turn of events.  JJ and Prentiss left quietly together and parted ways the second they got out of the room.

 

Hotch turned to Rossi, the only person left seated and said, “Do you really agree with everything that we just said?”

 

“Honestly, no.  But I do think it’s time we show Reid that we trust his judgment and let him make some mistakes on his own.  Like you said, he’ll come back when he is good and ready,” Rossi said sagely.

 

Hotch just nodded as he gathered up Reid’s belongings and secured them back in the box.  He was determined to hold on to them until the genius came back to claim them once again.

* * *

 

 

Reid woke up on Tuesday morning with a groan.  He was sprawled out on the dingy mattress facing the wall.  Ever since Sunday night he had refused to expose himself to the camera.  Even when Kaylee or Edwards entered the room he had hidden his private parts from view.  He had asked for clothes the first time he encountered Kaylee when she came to pick up his untouched food, but she just let out a little laugh before exiting the room.

 

Suddenly a clanking sound resounded through the room signaling the retraction of the chain attached to his ankle.  Reid sat up in a panic and scooted off the bed before he was pulled off of it.  He scurried to the center of the room and pulled his knees up to his chest to block the view of whoever was coming into the room.

 

The door locks clicked and in walked that bastard, Edwards.  The man was carrying a tray and some clothes.

 

“So how are you feeling?  Is your body recovered from all the fun it had the other night?” Edwards taunted as he set down the prisoner’s breakfast.

 

Reid ignored the question and remained silent.

 

“So it’s Tuesday, and you know what that means!” the man said with some excitement sneaking into his voice.

 

If the cop was waiting for an answer he didn’t let on, “It means that we are starting up the auction once again.  Kaylee was able to weave some amazing footage of you into the feed, so I am expecting your price to double.”

 

Reid shuddered at the thought of what he might encounter next.

 

“Here, put these on.  Unless you want to be nude for the whole auction…” Edwards offered.

 

Reid caught the bundle and slowly shook out the clothes.  There was a black mesh sleeveless shirt and a pair of black cut-off shorts.  He wasted no time pulling the shirt over his head, but it didn’t help to make him feel any less naked.  He eyed the shorts and looked back up at Edwards.

 

“Don’t look at me like that.  I’m not removing the chain.  The side of those shorts are all Velcro.  You just need to open it up and reattach it when you put them on.”

 

Reid just nodded his head and held onto the shorts.  He didn’t want to put them on until after the man left.

 

“Anyways, here’s your food.  Eat up, you’re going to need your energy.  I have a feeling your next client won’t be as easy on you.  Oh that reminds me, it’s Tuesday and your friends aren’t beating down my door.  I guess they must have believed the lovely letter you sent them.  I made sure to include your gun, cell phone, and credentials.  I bet you any money that Spencer Reid is now officially off the FBI payroll,” Edwards taunted.

 

“You’re wrong,” Reid muttered.

 

“What was that?”

 

“I said that you’re wrong,” Reid repeated, “They know that I would never – NEVER – leave them with just a note.  They’ll come for me, just you wait and see.”

 

“I highly doubt that,” Edwards mocked as the T.V. turned on suddenly, “Ah…it looks like the fun has begun.  I’d wish you good luck, but I’m really hoping you get someone special this time.”


	7. Shaving Lessons

For the hundredth time that night Reid jerked against the ropes that were binding his naked form to the bed.  Both of his wrists were chafed and bloodied due to the twine that joined them together above him his head.  Around his tiny waist was cinched a tight leather belt that had lengths of rope leading from his left and right side to the bed frame. Finally, each ankle was attached separately to the legs of the bed, due to a lack of a footboard.  The end result had his body splayed out like the letter “Y.”

 

The bound agent turned his head to look at the television and saw that once again the countdown deciding his fate was coming to a close.  It was that horrid website’s fault that he was trussed up in this position.

 

* * *

 

_Hours Earlier_

 

After Edwards had left the room Reid put on the constrictive shorts and inspected the breakfast that had been left for him.  The waffles on the plate were from the frozen food section of any grocery store and accompanied by a glass of orange juice.  The genius was leery of eating the food, but decided that his captors wouldn’t want to drug him at this point in the auction.  They’d want him to be active and give the bidders a good show.  So, deciding that for now the food was safe he tucked in and ate the now cold breakfast pastries.

 

After he had finished his unappetizing meal he utilized the bathroom once again.  He spent an inordinate amount of time in there doing nothing and didn’t come back out until he felt his chain being retracted.  Once he was forced back into the room he did the same thing he did last time and sat with his back propped up against the bed and stared at the television.  He spent the rest of the afternoon reading the comments as they flashed across the screen describing the twisted things these people wanted to do to him.

 

As the day wore on the captive agent noticed that the comments were slowing down and the bids were dwindling.  The sexual deviants were bored with watching him just sit against the bed.  A smirk spread across Reid’s face when he realized that his inactivity was causing the auction to stall.

 

Unfortunately, his kidnappers noticed the change in the auction’s pace too and about half-way through they decided to do something about it.  They first retracted his chain to the point where his foot was practically pulled into the small hole in the center of the room.  Once he was safely tethered without any room to budge even an inch the duo came into the room with masks covering their faces.

 

“So, it seems to me like you’re trying to bore our customers,” Edwards announced as he started to unwind some rope from around the crook of his arm.

 

“Not at all.  There just isn’t anything for me to do except for watch the program,” Reid said nervously as he watched the ends of the rope fall to the floor.

 

“I suppose that’s true...but nonetheless our customers want to see more of you, and Kaylee came up with the perfect solution.  You’re going to give the bidders a preview of what they can expect when purchasing you,” Edwards explained as he walked closer to his prisoner.

 

“You can’t possibly think that I’m going to parade around in front of the camera to help you make money,” Reid said snidely, not caring about the consequences.

 

“Oh…we never thought you would do something like that willingly,” Kaylee’s muffled voice said through her mask.  She quickly brought out the remote control and pressed the red button.

 

The now familiar electrical shock paralyzed Reid’s body for at least fifteen seconds.  He must have blacked out for a few moments because the next thing he knew his shirt was being tugged off his chest and his shorts were pulled from his body.  The realization that he was now naked and exposed to the camera, the one thing he was intent on not happening, caused him to start kicking out with his free foot.

 

He made contact with Kaylee’s abdomen and successfully knocked her back.  A little screech filled the room as she reacted to the blow to her stomach, “You bastard,” she screamed out.

 

“I wouldn’t have done that if I were you,” Edwards laughed as he scooted back from the naked figure on the floor bringing the shirt along with him.

 

Kaylee staggered to her feet and whipped out the controller again.  This time she held the button down for over thirty seconds, knocking the genius out for the count.

 

“Dumbass,” she muttered as she rubbed her stomach and looked to Edwards.

 

“Suck it up sweetie.  We are putting on quite a show for our viewers.  Just look at the auction, the numbers are climbing again.  Now get over here and help me get him on the bed,” Edwards said as he grabbed the prone man under his arms.

 

“Hold on!  I’ve gotta let out the chain,” Kaylee said as she hobbled over to the door favoring her stomach.

 

Within minutes the two culprits had the naked genius sprawled out on the bed and tied down.  They made sure to strap his hands directly above his head, framing his face.  This would make turning his head away from the camera more difficult for the shy young man.  Edwards also spread Reid’s legs out as far apart as possible to give the bidders an excellent view of his package.  Next, they girded his waist with a belt that attached to each side of the bed in order to prevent him from turning onto his side to hide his goods.  The last step in their money making scheme was to adjust the lens of the camera and point it straight at the bed.

 

The two stood back and looked to the T.V.  They stood there watching the audience’s reaction for a few minutes before giving each other a high-five and walking out the door.  They had effectively enticed the viewers into pledging more money to spending time with their whore.

 

* * *

 

When Reid woke up from his forced slumber the first thing he did was struggle against his bonds.  He tugged and twisted his hands in an effort to loosen the rope holding them together.  His willowy fingers searched for a knot that they could try to untie, but his devious captors had made sure to keep it out of his reach.

 

He forced his head up to inspect his body and saw that he was completely void of clothing.  A panic settled over his face as he tried to cross his legs to hide his most private of parts only to find both appendages fastened tightly to the bed.  He let out a yell of frustration and started to rock his body back and forth hoping to turn on his side, only he was thwarted by the constricting belt.

 

The genius’s red-rimmed eyes started to roam the room and stopped once they settled on the camera that was now pointing directly at his bare body.  It dawned on him what the whole purpose of this display was and he wrenched his head to the side to try to see the online auction.

 

On the screen he saw his exposed form in all its glory surrounded by a multitude of comments.  The price for his body had significantly risen since this development and the numbers continued to compound.  A sob escaped his lips as he let his head fall back to its natural position, straight on to camera.

 

His large brown orbs closed in despair as he tried to force his mind to concentrate on thoughts that didn’t pertain to his situation.  So throughout the rest of the night Spencer drifted in and out of awareness in order to save his sanity.

 

It was hours later that he looked up again after another attempt at freeing himself.  He saw the last few seconds of the auction count down and just like last time the monitor turned off.

 

Reid laid in the darkness for an undetermined amount of time until the door cracked open.  He was expecting Edwards to walk into the room and immediately remove him like last time, but that was not the case.  Instead Kaylee sauntered in with a few peculiar items in her hand.

 

“You did an amazing job at enticing the viewers to bid higher.  All of your squirming and yelling really captured the audience’s attention.  You tripled your price from last time.  There were even private propositions emailed to us offering astronomical amounts of money for a night with you.  It’s unbelievable how much some people will pay to play out their fantasies,” she gloated as she walked up to the bed and started unravelling the rope around his wrists.

 

“It’s amazing what some people will do to make money,” Reid whispered as he felt a new sensation on his wrist.

 

Kaylee laughed at his comment as she snapped a set of handcuffs to each hand and attached them to opposite sides of the headboard.

 

“What are you doing?  Shouldn’t you be taking me into the other room now?” he asked, even though he was happy to stay in his little prison.

 

“Ah, well…your newest client asked for you to be shaved,” she answered as she held up a can of shaving cream and a straight razor.

 

“What?!?”

 

“Well, you do have to admit that you have become quite scruffily over these past few days.  I’m going to clean up your facial hair and then do some maintenance elsewhere,” Kaylee said with a grin as she went and filled up a little bowl with water.

 

When she got back she quickly straddled Reid’s midsection.  She placed the razor, cream, and a towel on the left side of his body and she balanced the bowl of water on the other.  He heard her shake the can and squirt some foam out onto her hand.  The next thing he knew she was lathering his face in the white cream.

 

“Alright, you are going to want to stay perfectly still for this.  I don’t have much practice with these types of razors.  It would be a shame to cut a vital artery just because you flinched,” she said with a snicker as she flicked open the razor.

 

Reid closed his eyes in horror, not wanting to watch the sharp blade descend on his face.  She started at his neckline and slowly dragged the blade upwards toward his chin.  He could hear her washing the razor in the water before bringing it back for another go around.

 

Kaylee continued her careful ministrations until all of his facial hair was gone.  She only once slipped up and nicked the underside of his jaw.  The simple slip caused him to gasp in surprise.  Until then he hadn’t realized that he had been holding his breath each time the blade touched his sensitive skin.  He started to breathe normally the second he felt the towel on his face cleaning off the remnants of hair and cream.

 

“There, that wasn’t so bad.  I only messed up once and it’s hardly noticeable,” she bragged as she hopped of his waist and went to get clean water in the bowl.

 

“Okay, now it’s time for the fun part,” she taunted as she set the bowl down next to his waist again.

 

Reid wanted badly to plead with her not to shave his private parts, but he knew it would be in vain.  So instead he started wiggling his body to and fro causing the bowl to spill and the shaving cream to roll off the bed.

 

In response to his struggle, Kaylee whipped out the blade of the razor and grabbed Reid by the neck.  She positioned the tip right under his eye and threatened, “I suggest you cooperate just as nicely as you did a few seconds ago because I am going to do this regardless of you wiggling or not.  And I would lay odds on the fact that you would like all of your parts intact when I’m done.  Wouldn’t you?”

 

Not trusting himself to nod his head and not get cut, Reid managed to spit out a, “Yes,” through his gritted teeth.

 

She released her tight grip on his neck and said, “Good.  I’m glad you see it my way.”

 

Kaylee then went to work on replacing the water and applying to foam to his exposed crotch.  She hummed a note of disapproval when she noted how much hair he had down there, “You really don’t take care of yourself below the belt, huh?”

 

Embarrassed, the exposed genius could feel his face turning a deep shade of red.  He really hadn’t ever considered grooming nether-regions.  It wasn’t like there was anyone in his life that he needed to worry about seeing it.  Sure, he had trimmed it once in a while when it felt unruly but other than that he pretty much left it to nature.

 

The silence that answered her question only caused Kaylee to laugh some more at her captive’s expense.  It turned out that she found herself giggling quite frequently throughout the process because every time she paused Kaylee stole a glance at Reid’s distressed face.  His eyes were squeezed shut as if in pain and the expressions painting his face were intoxicatingly uncomfortable.  The power she had over this poor humiliated soul turned her on more than she had ever imagined it would.  She knew the second she left the room she was going to have to jump Edwards to let out her pent up sexual desires.

 

She finished up the procedure in a decent amount of time and cleaned up her patient.  He never once opened his eyes throughout the whole ordeal and he was still keeping them shut.  His breath was heaving as if he was coming down from a panic attack.  She watched mesmerized as the boy’s chest pumped up and down.  Unable to resist teasing the kid some more she planted a kiss to his lips before departing the room with all her goods.  On her way out she called, “You are just too much fun, Doctor.  And I’m sure our next guest is going to love the cleaned up version of you.”

 

Reid waited to hear the door close before he opened his eyes.  A small tear tracked down the right side of his face the moment the brown sphere saw the light.  He had done his best to hold in all of his shame but the one little water droplet that trailed down his cheek could not be helped.  After all he had been through so far this experience seemed to affect him the most.  Perhaps it was the fact that he had been so utterly exposed for an extended period of time.  Or maybe it was the fact that a woman had actually touched him in the place that counted the most and all she could do was laugh at him while she was down there.  At this point it didn’t matter what cut him the most deeply, only that the marks these people were carving into his soul were so deep he wasn’t sure if they would ever heal.

 

* * *

 

Edwards walked in about twenty minutes later with a syringe held in his right hand, “I figured I would take advantage of you being all tied up and just administer the drug now.”

 

Reid shifted his body as best he could and glared at the officer, “I just think that you’re too much of a coward to try to overpower me.”  The genius knew that what he was saying couldn’t be further from the truth, but he was still trying to maintain some confidence and dignity.

 

“Big words for a helpless boy,” the man taunted as he injected the drug into Reid’s neck.

 

The numbing sensation was instantaneous as it flowed through his system.  He felt his body become limp and uncontrollable.

 

Edwards immediately set to undoing all of Reid’s bonds and threw the kid’s lifeless body over his shoulder.  The only thing that Reid could see on their way to the next room was the blue polo shirt covering the officer’s back.  So he was surprised to find himself in a different room than before when the cop set him down on a peculiar wooden bench with a large post as its back support.

 

Spencer quickly deciphered what type of “chair” he was in when a metal collar that was attached to the wooden post was wrapped around his neck.  His hands were then bound behind his back with some sort of wire and his feet were fastened together with the same cable.

 

The crooked cop stood up after he was done with Reid’s feet and patted him on the cheek, “Take some deep breaths while you can…you’re gonna need it.”


	8. Asphyxiaphilia

Derek Morgan was sitting in his office early Tuesday morning.  He didn’t sleep well the night before due to thoughts of Reid running through his head.  He had tossed and turned all night contemplating whether or not he should try to hunt down his friend.  Hotch had been very clear in his expectation that the team was to leave Reid alone for a while, but could his boss really tell him what to do during his personal time.

 

The dark agent groaned as he leaned over his desk and rested his head in the palms of his hands.  He knew what he wanted to do, but he just didn’t know if he should do it.  His misery was disrupted by a pink blur plopping herself down on the chair across from his desk.

 

“Good morning, my dove,” she trilled.

 

“Good morning, princess,” he reciprocated as he lifted his head off his hands.

 

“Rough night?” she asked.

 

“Yeah…,” he answered vaguely.

 

“Me too,” she commiserated.

 

“Really?”

 

“You don’t really think you’re the only one that is disturbed by our genius’s hasty exit do you?” she asked.

 

“Well, no.  I know that it’s affecting everyone.  It’s just…Garcia, he promised to call me when he made his decision.  Why would he go back on that?  That’s not like him.  Reid doesn’t break a promise,” Morgan pointed out to his dearest friend.

 

She reached across the desk and rubbed his arm with her manicured orange sherbet nails, “I agree.  You had a point yesterday, he would never leave us with just a letter.  But Derek, there just isn’t any other evidence that this choice was against his will.”

 

“I know but my mind keeps going back to how hurt he was by Gideon’s departure.  He wouldn’t want to put us through the same type of pain he felt - still feels - at that bastard’s sudden goodbye,” Morgan said with fervor.

 

“But you and Prentiss both agree that he has been thinking about leaving the BAU.  What if Rossi is right and he just wanted to avoid confrontation?” Garcia asked trying to be devil’s advocate.

 

“Come on, Reid has grown up since he started the BAU.  He knows how to break bad news to people.  The kid wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I know he would have felt obligated to tell us to our faces,” Derek answered.

 

“So what do we do?”

 

“I don’t know,” he said rubbing his face with agitation.

 

“Okay, how about this…what does your gut want you to do?” Garcia asked.

 

Morgan looked up and confessed, “My gut is telling me that something is wrong, and that we need to track him down.”

 

“Perfect.  I was hoping you would say that because last night I went online and flagged all of his bank accounts and credit cards.  I’ll know where and when he makes any transactions.  Once we get that info then we can start trying to establish contact with him.  And I’ve put up alerts with phone companies to contact me if he opens a new phone line,” Garcia explained.

 

A smile broke out on Morgan’s face, “Sweetness, did I ever tell you that I love you?”

 

“All the time,” she quipped, “Oh and I also tapped into the security cameras at his apartment complex.  I’ll be on the lookout to see if our genius comes back home to collect any of his valuables,” Garcia added as she got up to leave.

 

“Thank God I have you in my corner with all of this,” Morgan said as he got up to give her a big hug.  “Now I don’t have to tell you that we need to keep this between the two of us, right?”

 

“My lips are sealed,” she said as she planted a big pink kiss on his cheek and walked out the door.

 

“Reid, buddy, we’re going to find you.  Whether you need us to or not,” Morgan muttered as he looked up in the air as if appealing to a God he wasn’t sure he believed was really there.

 

* * *

Reid felt that familiar tingling sensation being to make its way through his appendages when the door to the room swished open revealing Edwards and his newest customer.  The genius was able to twitch his fingers a little bit behind his back hoping in vain to manipulate the knot holding his hands together.  It didn’t matter though, it wasn’t like he could go anywhere if he did get free.

 

The man that came into the room with Edwards was the total opposite of Tony.  This guy was short and stocky.  He had brown shaggy hair and a pair of black horn-rimmed glasses perched on his hawk-like nose.  He was dressed in blue jeans and a snarky t-shirt.  If Reid had to guess, the man was somewhere in his early thirties and was very confident in his abilities.  A sleazy smile spread across his face when his eyes fell on the genius’s bound figure.

 

This time when Edwards went over the rules and procedures for how the room worked Reid didn’t listen.  His focus was concentrated on the different materials that were hanging over the stocky man’s shoulder.  It looked like there was some sort of silk scarf draped there along with a length of rope, a chain, and some sort of cord.  If the chair the agent was currently sitting on wasn’t confirmation enough of what type of sexual deviant he would be dealing with the apparatuses clinched it; he was an asphyxiaphiliac.  This man was turned on by breath control play.

 

Reid could feel his air intake speed up in response to his realization.  There were so many issues that come along with breath play; cardiac arrest, brain damage, rupturing of the windpipe, stroke, seizures, chocking on vomit, or worse of all death.  The previous man may have been twisted and weird but this one was flat out dangerous.

 

Before the genius knew it Edwards was gone and the white door was closed and secured.  His buyer was just hovering in front of him eyeing him up and down.

 

“I know they gave you a paralysis drug, but they said it was going to wear off soon.  Can you move yet?” he asked.

 

Reid was only able to get his head to deliver a small nod in response.

 

“So it’s safe to say that as of right now you’re as helpless as a kitten?  Hmm…that puts a damper on my plans.  I need you to have some control over your body for this night to be a success.  But, there are a few things I can take care of while we’re waiting for you to regain full use of your appendages,” the man explained as he walked behind Reid.

 

The genius’s world went black a few seconds later when a piece of soft black fabric was wrapped around his field of vision, “It’s imperative that you do not remove this blindfold at any point tonight.  If you do there will be consequences.  Since I know that it’s going to be a hard order to follow, I’m going to help you out.”

 

A belt equipped with wrist restraints, similar to a prisoner transport belt, was wrapped around his waist and cinched tightly.  Reid felt his newest captor release his hands from behind his back, but his body was still too numb to make use of this new found freedom.  Taking advantage of the limp appendages, the man quickly secured the brown-eyed agent’s hands in the metal rings.

 

“Well, let’s get started with some introductions, you will call me Master and I will call you whore.  You will respond to your name without hesitation and anytime you address me tonight I expect you to use my title.  This night is going to be all about experimenting.  I have recently discovered breath play and I wanted an opportunity to practice it on someone that didn’t matter to me.  So you, whore, are going to be my test subject,” Reid flinched when he felt the man grab his chin.

 

Spencer, testing his voice, tried to ask a question, “W…wh…why the blindfold?”

 

The grip on his chin tightened and the man took his thumbnail and used it to score a deep scratched down the genius’s right cheek, “What did you forget?”

 

“M…master,” he sputtered out.

 

“That’s better.  The blindfold is to keep you totally unaware of what is happening all night.  I hear that it heightens your other senses and using it brings more pleasure.  Of course, this isn’t just about you though…I must admit I enjoy the power that comes with you being helpless and blind.  Whatever I do to you tonight will be a surprise and that’s just the way I like it,” the man explained as he let go of the pointy chin in his grasp.

 

Reid desperately strained his ears to what the man was doing.  He hated the darkness that he was forced to endure.  The man was right, he was helpless and it felt horrible.

 

The genius jumped when the man’s breath hit his ear and whispered, “Let’s get started, shall we?”

 

“Please no,” he responded knowing that his appeal would be ignored.

 

A chuckle was the only answer he received as the band around his neck tightened.

 

“Did you know that this chair is called a garrote?  Yes, yes…I know that garrotes are usually handheld devices, but the Spanish were able to turn it into this lovely execution contraption that you sit in now,” his tormentor described as he turned the wheel behind Reid’s head again, causing the genius to gasp for air.

 

Of course Reid already knew all of this information and more, but the constricting forces around his neck prevented even a squeak from getting through.

 

“Can you feel it yet?  Are you getting lightheaded?  The metal should be putting pressure on the blood vessels in your neck by now,” he queried.

 

Only a hiss issued forth from his lips because the band was indeed doing its job.  He wasn’t able to take in deep breaths of air and his head was becoming cloudy.  When the next turn of the wheel tightened the collar even more Reid couldn’t help but try to move his hands upward to relieve the pressure.

 

“Ha…I knew that you would try to use your hands after a while.  See that’s why I prepared you ahead of time with the belt.  Let’s try one more turn of the wheel and see what it does.”

 

The creaking sound was loud in Reid’s ears as it tightened that band that he was sure was going to take his life.  The bones in his neck felt like they were going to give way at any second and the pressure on his windpipe couldn’t be stronger.  The bound agent did his best to squirm around trying to loosen the band on his neck but nothing he did worked.  He knew that his vision would be dimming even if there wasn’t a blindfold blocking out all of the light.

 

He could hear soft moans coming from the man behind him and knew that even if he could beg it would be useless.  The moaning turned into grunting as the sound of flesh hitting flesh filled his hazy ears.  An especially loud groan heralded a warm wet splash of fluid that was now dripping down his pale white back.

 

The man behind him was panting in exertion and had placed his hands on Spencer’s boney shoulders to keep himself standing upright, “That was amazing.  I loved watching you struggle.  I’m going to release you from the chair now and then we’ll move on to our next activity.”

 

Reid coughed the second the pressure on his neck was alleviated and pitched forward gripping the bench seat in front of him.  He was almost curled over onto the wood coughing and gasping for a bigger breath than he had been able to take just a few moments ago.  Bent over in the position that he currently occupied allowed him to massage his neck with his restricted hands.  He was even able to reach up and grasp the blindfold but then the man’s voice said, “Uh uh uh…I told you not to touch that.”

 

“I…I wasn’t going to take it off,” Reid stammered as he straightened up off the bench. 

 

A smack to the side of his head sent him reeling off to the side.  He gripped the wood beneath him tightly to prevent himself from falling off, “What did you forget to say?”

 

“I-I wasn’t g-going to take it off, master,” Reid corrected.

 

“Right…don’t touch it again.  That was your only warning.  Now I want you to get up and move to the bed,” the man that went by master ordered as he cut the cord binding the agent’s ankles together.

 

 “Yes, m-master,” Reid said submissively as he struggled to get up from the seat.  His muscles were still weak from the drugs and the shock of being strangled almost to death.

 

Once he was fully erect he had to rely on his memory to figure out which direction to maneuver to in order to get to the bed.  Being blind and not able to have full function of his hands made the journey difficult.  He was slowly shuffling on a course that he thought would get him where he needed to be when he tripped over an obstruction.

 

He fell to his hands and knees on the hardwood floor.  Questions started flitting through Spencer’s big brain.  What had tripped him?  The floor was clear earlier when he was dragged in by Edwards.  Had the buyer already strewn his stuff around the room?  Where was his tormentor anyways?  Why wasn’t he either laughing at Reid’s clumsiness or helping him back up?

 

All of his questions disappeared seconds later when he felt a thin wire wrap around his neck and pull taunt.

 

* * *

Hotch came into the office promptly at eight with a cup of coffee clutched in his cold hand.  The temperatures outside had started dropping as fall was in full swing.  The bull pen was slowly starting to show signs of life as agents were booting up their computers and wishing each other a good morning.

 

The unit chief quickly climbed up the stairs that led to the offices on the upper levels.  He nodded hello to the random coworkers that passed him on the way, but he never made a sound.  He wasn’t much of a small talker and didn’t like to engage in pleasantries. 

 

Hotch was almost to his office when he heard Morgan’s voice emanating from his office.  It caused the stern man to pause for a moment because his subordinate has never shown himself to be an early bird.  He almost went in to see what caused the man to come in prematurely when he heard the chipper voice of Penelope Garcia, “…last night I went online and flagged all of his bank accounts and credit cards.  I’ll know where and when he makes any transactions.  Once we get that info than we can start trying to establish contact with him.  And I’ve put up alerts with phone companies to contact me if he opens a new phone line.”

 

A frown creased his face as he realized what the two friends were discussing.  It took all of his control not to storm into the office and reprimand the two for blatantly ignoring his directive.  Instead he chose to continue his journey to his office and handle the situation later.

 

Once he turned on the light in his private space he looked around to see if anything was out of place.  It wasn’t that he was paranoid, he was just cautious.  Satisfied that nothing had been tampered with he retreated to his desk and settled in for a morning of paperwork. 

 

Out of his window a brightly colored Garcia scurried by surely on her way to her office.  A sigh escaped his lips as he thought about how worried his team must be to go against his orders.  He looked over to the corner of his desk where the box holding Reid’s things was perched.  He grabbed the cardboard and set it in his lap.  He pulled out the items, inspecting them once again.  There was nothing suspicious about the contents of the box, in fact they were pretty typical for someone who resigned. 

 

The only anomaly was the letter.  He unfurled it once again and let his eyes reread the words penned by the genius.  He allowed his finger to trace the words as he read and was surprised to find that the texture of the paper looked and felt different in various spots.

 

Puzzled, the man rubbed the parchment in between his thumb and index finger.  It felt rough and weary, almost to the point where some of it was eroding.  This struck Hotch as strange but it didn’t raise any alarms.  If he had to venture a guess, it looked like the genius spilt something on the note, almost as if he was writing it while he ate.  He pulled it close to his face and took a whiff on the off chance that it might smell like the kid’s chosen meal.  The only scent he could detect was a faint citrusy one. 

 

The man sat there in contemplation for a few more minutes before replacing all of the items back in the box.  What did it matter what Reid was eating when he wrote the letter?  What mattered was the fact that he had written it.  There wasn’t anything he could do to change the situation and worrying about stains wasn’t going to bring Reid back.  He also decided that he would have to talk to Morgan and Garcia later about them monitoring the genius after Reid made it clear that he wanted to be left alone.

 

Hotch stood up and shelved the box onto the bookcase behind his desk.  While he had to admit that Reid had officially separated from the FBI, he didn’t have to completely let go of him yet.

 

* * *

It was nearing the end of the short man’s time with Reid.  Since he had been locked in the room with this crazy guy he had been strangled at least six times.  Each time the man had chosen a different tool to inflict the asphyxiation and each time Reid came closer and closer to death.  He hadn’t yet fully ceased breathing at any time but he had passed out.

 

Right now the two men were kneeling on the floor in front of the footboard of the bed.  Reid was positioned in front of the man who had his abdomen flush against the genius’s back.  At the moment there was a silk scarf wrapped around Reid’s neck, the nicest material the man had used yet, but it was also encircled around his violator’s.  He had strung it through the intricate base of the bed and used it as a lever.  The man could pull on the scarf and it would tighten around his captive’s neck and then his own.

 

Reid had tried to fight against this man but a few times during the session he had injected the genius with something that kept his muscles weak and pliant.  Right now the only thing holding Spencer up was the man’s arms draped around his torso.

 

“I’m so excited!  I’ve always wanted to try this.  I saw it in a movie once and since then I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.  We are both going to get to enjoy the high coupled with our release.  If we play this right we may even cum at the same time,” the man babbled as he penetrated Spencer with a violent thrust.

 

There was a hint of gentleness in the way the man took advantage of his paid whore.  He pounded relentlessly into the boy’s tight hole eliciting grunts and groans from the both of them.  He was using so much force that the genius had to grab onto the bed frame that was within reach of his bound hands to help keep himself steady through the whole process.

 

A few minutes into the assault the man started pulling on the silk scarf.  The bed framed creaked with each pull and in turn the wrap squeezed around both of their necks.  The man’s hands stop supporting Reid and start exploring his body.  He ran his fingers up and down the boy’s pallid frame, paying extra attention to his nipples.  A bite to his ear made the genius yelp in surprise as the man’s tongue flicked the lobe that now had teeth marks.

 

“I’m so close.  Just a little bit more,” the man whispered as he constricted the cloth again.  It had become so tight that stars were flashing before Reid’s eyes.  The genius started to gasp for air once again as the man’s muscle hit his prostate right on the mark.

 

“That’s it…I can feel you tightening.  Cum for me and this can all be over,” the stranger said as he bit down deep into the exposed shoulder.

 

And with one last thrust Reid felt his world unload as all of his air was expelled from his lungs.  The man plastered to his back released a guttural yell as his discharge filled the agent.  After the man finished his orgasm off with a few more thrusts he let go of his hold on the scarf.  Reid ended up hunched over on the floor with the man lying on his back.  He panted for air as the silk fluttered to the floor.

 

“That was the best one yet,” huffed the buyer as he got up and started to clean off his body.  “You, my dirty whore, have found a client for life.  I’m going to see if they’ll let me book some more sessions with you.  There are so many other things I’ve always wanted to try.  I just never had anyone to do them with.”

 

Reid just laid there on the ground while he listened to the man gush about how satisfied he was.  His throat was too swollen and sore to speak even if he wanted to.  He could hear the man shambling around the room behind him but he didn’t care anymore.  The young man could feel nothing but disgust for himself as he cringed at the fact that fluids were dripping out of his body.  Tears of revulsion soaked the blindfold that was still draped across his big brown eyes.  He wanted to dissolve into the floor and disappear from the world.  At this point it didn’t matter if his friends were trying to find him, he no longer wanted to be rescued.  He just wanted to be put out of his misery.

 

The broken genius wasn’t even aware that the man was leaving until the door to his prison crashed closed.


	9. The Deal

**4 months later**

 

The genius was perched in his favorite spot on the floor, right up against the big glass window.  It was his only get away from this prison that he had been trapped in for over one hundred and twenty days.  In that time he had been used by over forty-five clients, and if it weren’t for his owners giving him recovery time that number would be much higher.  Throughout each session he had been raped multiple times in filthy and disgusting ways.  All control he once had over his body had been taken away from him and given to the highest bidder.

 

So each time he came back from a session with a buyer Reid would curl up and watch the people of Chicago go about their lives.  He would try to imagine himself among the citizens of Windy City and forget about this place for a little while.

 

The window also helped him keep track of time. He had witnessed the progression of fall into winter through this transparent surface.  The cold wind had blown harshly against the glass numerous times throughout his stay, frosting the clear surface as winter stretched out its tendrils.  He also observed quite a few snowstorms peppering the land with relentless white flakes since the weather had turned brutally cold.

 

His window to the world even let him watch the holiday season come and go.  He could see the twinkling lights that were strung along the lampposts and storefronts.  In the neighboring high-rises there were multicolored bulbs decorating the window frames and Christmas trees.  Spencer found himself wondering how his friends had spent their holidays.  Had they forgotten about him?  Did they think that he purposefully avoided wishing them a happy holiday?

 

He knew it was New Year’s Eve when he saw the fireworks light up the sky over Lake Michigan.  What was this year going to hold for him?  Would there be an end to his captivity? If there was, how would he rebound from all of this? 

 

Now here he was, at what he had estimated to be the end of February, and he could see the claws of winter retracting and the hints of spring emerging.  Spring was supposed to be a time of rebirth and hope.  It was when one was supposed to shake off the bitterness that the winter brought and embrace the freshness of the coming summer.  But he could see nothing in his future to clasp.  All that laid ahead for him was darkness and disgrace.

 

The agent heaved out a sigh of disdain and allowed his head to rest against the window.  He had all but given up at this point.  There was nothing for him to look forward to except for more humiliating experiences.  He had resigned himself to the situation a while ago.  At first he did it because he thought it would make enduring the assaults a bit easier, but he was wrong.  Nothing made getting raped by paraphiliacs easier, NOTHING. 

 

In fact, the only thing that kept him semi-sane anymore was tracing the same four words over and over on the glass.  They were the words that his mother would always say to him whenever he needed consoling.  Of course she wasn’t always coherent enough to impart comfort, but it happened enough that the saying stuck with him.

 

His brown eyes cracked open after a few minutes and he caught a glimpse of himself reflected in the glass.  Reid cringed at his appearance and longed for his signature sweater vests, button-downs, and khakis. For at this point in time the genius was a shell of his former self.  If his teammates were to storm the room right now to rescue him they probably wouldn’t recognize their youngest friend.  He had lost weight, his hair was much shorter, there were scars littering his once pristine body, and his eyes were hollow and empty.  He had even been given two piercings, one in each nipple.  He would have removed them immediately, but his captors threatened to pierce a more sensitive area if he did.

 

In stark contrast to his preferred style, his lower half was currently dressed in shiny black vinyl pants that laced up the side of each leg.  Instead of wearing a shirt to cover his abdomen he was sporting jewelry.  There was an intricate golden chain encircling his neck that had a large black onyx hanging from the center link.  Coming off of the rear of the necklace were two thinner chains that trailed down his back, wrapped around his chest, wove through the nipple rings, and reattached to the center link.  His shock bracelets were still present but in a different forms.  The previous ones had been thin silver circlets, but the new ones were onyx studded golden cuffs that locked securely around his wrists.

 

He had lost at least ten to fifteen pounds since his captivity began.  His ribs were sticking out, and to say his hip bones were protruding would be an understatement.  The genius’s eyes were sunken in further than ever before accompanied by his infamous purple bags.  His hair had been shaved completely down on all sides, except the top.  Kaylee had kindly left him enough length on top to manipulate into messy spikes.

 

The most striking change of all were the scars.  They could be found all over his body and in various shapes and sizes.  Underneath each of his bracelets were permanent burns from the countless electrical shocks he had received.  His left ankle was constantly bloody and raw from the rubbing of the manacle.  Whenever his shackle was removed he could see the scar tissue that was beginning to form from the irritation that the skin endured daily.  In addition to those markings, he had also received a myriad of scars from his abusers.  And, each time he looked at them his mind would be assaulted with the memories of how they were earned.

 

Reid tore his eyes away from his reflection in the glass with revulsion.  He knew deep down that he now embodied the name that had taunted him from the beginning of this ordeal, whore.  How could he deny it?  He met all the requirements; sleeping with multiple partners for money, wearing provocative clothing to enhance desire, and pleasuring others in strange and sadistic ways.

 

As he mentally berated himself for being a filthy blemish on the face of society, the door to his cell opened.  Officer Edwards strolled into the stark environment with a roll of duct tape in his hands and cleared his throat, “Get up whore.  We’ve got someplace to be.”

 

Startled, Reid turned toward him and asked as his eyes flitted between the cop and the television screen, “What?  The auction isn’t even over yet.”

 

“I know.  Kaylee is just going to run a loop of you instead of a live feed.  I’ve got a client in another room that is here to inspect you,” Edwards explained as he pulled out his black remote.

 

“Inspect me?  Why?”

 

“To decide whether or not he wants to buy you,” the cop said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

 

A chill coursed through Spencer’s body at those words.  “You’re selling me?”

 

“Yeah…Kaylee and I have been talking.  We’ve decided that it’s time to take our money and run, so to speak.  If you think about it, we’ve been pressing our luck and it’s time to quit before we get caught.  I mean, we are auctioning you online.  It’s only a matter of time before someone finds the site and reports it.  So this way, we sell you, make a profit, leave the country, and live out our days on a beach somewhere.  It’s the perfect plan,” Edwards gloated while he extended the remote.

 

Reid was speechless with the implication of what he had just heard.  If he got lost in a human trafficking ring than no one would ever be able to find him.  Not that they were looking for him anyhow.

 

A sizzle traveled through his body as Edwards incapacitated him with electricity.  One would think that after four months it wouldn’t affect him as much, but he was still knocked for a loop every time.  The officer flipped him onto his stomach and secured his hands behind his back with duct tape after unlocking the manacle on his foot.  The man then grabbed his upper arm and hauled him to his feet, “Now unless you want a strip of this across your mouth, you’re going to be quiet and let the adults talk. Do you get me?”

 

The genius felt the iron grip on his arm squeeze tightly and he knew that Edwards was expecting a response.  “Yes.”

 

“Good, now let’s go over some rules,” the man said as he guided his prisoner out the door.  “First of all, we’re meeting the client downstairs in my dining room.  You will behave yourself and not try anything foolish.  I would have hoped that you learned your lesson from the first time you tried to escape, but one can never tell what idiotic ideas might pop into your head.”

 

Reid winced upon hearing the reference to his pathetic escape attempt from a few months back.  He had convinced Kaylee that she didn’t need to shock him or restrain him for removal to another room.  She naively went along with his suggestion and he knocked her out and made a run for it out the open door.  He made it down the hall and into the stairwell before she was even able to call out for help.  Once he got to the door that lead to the bottom floor of the apartment he ran into trouble.  It was locked tight from the other side and required a key.  He flung his body against the barrier and shouted for help, thinking that maybe someone on the floor below might be able to hear him.  He pounded the door with his fists and shook the doorknob to no avail.  He wasn’t sure how long he railed against the obstacle but eventually he found himself on the floor sobbing in frustration.

 

He remember Kaylee standing at the top of stairs gazing down at him at the bottom and smirking.  “Did you really think that you would be able to run right out of here?  Now I’m going to have to get Terry in here to put you in your place.”  She ended up shocking him for over a minute and it caused him to pass out cold.  When he woke up he was strung up in one of the rooms, hanging by his arms from a hook.  Edwards went on to whip him as a form of punishment and left him dangling there for the rest of the night.  His captors had to reschedule the visit that Kaylee had been preparing him for the day before, and the client was less than thrilled.  The bidder was pissed at Reid when they finally met and took his anger out on his body for their whole session.

 

A jostle to his arm brought the genius out of his memory, “Are you listening to me?  Did you hear a word I just said?”

 

Knowing he was caught, Reid shook his head.    He felt a slap resonate across his face, “Damn it, you need to pay attention.  As I was saying, when we get in the dining room you will kneel on the floor next to my chair.  Your head will be down and you will not initiate eye contact.  When the customer wants to take a look at you, you will listen and follow all of his commands flawlessly.  After he is done you will resume your position on the floor.  If you don’t follow these instructions there will be repercussions.”

 

Spencer nodded his head in recognition of the man’s words.  He heard a grunt of acknowledgement back and allowed himself to be lead into the dining room.  Kaylee was already seated on the right side of the table with some paperwork and writing utensils spread out in front of her.  Across from her sat someone that Reid had hoped never to see again; it was the asphyxiaphiliac.

 

Flashbacks to his night spent with that man assaulted his mind and he dug his heels into the ground to stop his entry into the room.  He could hear the man saying that there were so many more things he wanted to try and Reid didn’t particularly want to find out what they were.  He had hoped over these last few months that the man hadn’t returned because he couldn’t afford Reid’s skyrocketing cost.

 

The harsh grip on his arm squeezed tighter and Edwards practically threw him into the area.  The genius stumbled in and almost fell due to the fact that he couldn’t catch his balance with his arms bound behind him.  He caught the grin that had spread across the man’s face as he was forced onto his knees and his head was pushed downward.

 

Edwards planted himself in the cushioned chair in between Kaylee and Reid.  He grabbed a piece of paper from in front of his girlfriend and said, “Okay, let’s talk business.”

 

* * *

 

The BAU hadn’t changed too much in the four months that had passed since Reid had resigned.  The team members had each dealt with the exit of their favorite genius in their own ways, and they all refused to talk any further about his sudden departure with each other.  The items on Reid’s desk had been packed up and put away in storage until they were claimed by their owner.  The space remained vacant, waiting to be filled in by a new agent.  No trace of the gawky genius was left to be seen but sometimes his presence could be felt.  It wasn’t uncommon for one of the team to walk by his desk and touch his chair or brush their fingers across his desk as they relived a memory.

 

Even though the group didn’t discuss Reid anymore, it hadn’t stopped Derek and Penelope from meeting at least once a week to look for updates.  The two friends would meet on Monday evenings after work to look over their notes and hope to find new bread crumbs to lead them to Reid.  Unfortunately, the trail to their young friend was devoid of any clues.  He hadn’t touched his bank accounts since he left, there were no new phone lines taken out in his name, and he had yet to use his credit cards.

 

“What I don’t get is how he is getting by?  According to his account records he didn’t withdraw a large amount of money before he quit.  So what is he living on?  Did he change his name?” Garcia pondered aloud.

 

“We’ve been over this sweetness…and I still don’t have a good answer.  All I know is that his apartment, bills, and his mother’s care are still being withdrawn from his original account.  He is running out of money though, so he is going to have to make a deposit soon.  We both know that he would never let his mom end up at a state run facility.  So maybe we just have to hold out a few more months until he either puts money in the bank or pays his bills under another name,” Derek announced as he rocked back in his chair.

 

“I don’t like this.  Derek…he would have contacted us by now.  He wouldn’t have gone the whole holiday season without so much as a Merry Christmas to any of us.  And according to Bennington’s computers no one has signed in to visit his mother since September.  He always visits his mom during the holidays…,” she trailed off knowing that they’ve already gone down this path multiple times.

 

“I know baby girl.  Look, why don’t we reanalyze what happened to him in Chicago after his plane landed.  I’ve always found it weird that he never checked into his hotel,” Derek said redirecting the conversation.

 

* * *

 

Aaron and Beth were sitting on the couch and relaxing after a long day of paperwork and meetings.  He had made it a point to leave at 5:00 so that he could spend time with his son and girlfriend.  It had been a pleasant evening so far complete with a homemade family dinner courtesy of Beth.  The two adults were enjoying an after dinner drink while Jack was coloring on the floor.  The television was tuned to Jeopardy and the couple was shouting out answers at the screen.

 

“It’s not fair.  I swear you must be cheating,” Beth exclaimed when the show went on a commercial break.

 

“I telling you I’m not,” Hotch chuckled as he set his glass down on the table in front of them.

 

“Well, we’ll see how well you do in the ‘Double Jeopardy’ round.  Maybe there will actually be some categories that I know.  Oh, and if I end up winning you owe me a hot fudge sundae for dessert,” she laughed.

 

He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her lips and asked, “And what do I get when I win?”

 

“When?”

 

“Yeah, when.”

 

“I guess I’ll let you name your prize,” she whispered seductively in his ear so Jack wouldn’t overhear.

 

“Well, you’re on then,” he agreed.

 

The show came back on and the two of them were in the middle of yelling out their guesses for the category on “James Bond Theme Songs” when Jack came and sat in between them.

 

“Daddy?”

 

“Yeah, Jack?” he asked as he tried to pay attention to the questions and his son at the same time.

 

“Do we have lemons?” the boy asked.

 

“Um…I’m…What is ‘All Time High?” he shouted out before Beth.

 

“Ahh, that’s not a song!  Which movie is that even from?” she cried back.

 

“Ach, my dear.  That song happens to be the theme to ‘Octopussy,’ Roger Moore’s penultimate outing as Bond,” Hotch said with a terrible English accent.

 

Jack, sensing that his father was distracted, tugged on Hotch’s shirt and asked again, “Dad!  Lemons?”

 

“What?  Oh, um…no Jack. I’m pretty sure we don’t have any.  Why do you need them anyways?” Hotch asked his son.

 

“I just wanted to do a magic trick that Reid taught me at my birthday party,” Jack answered as he jumped off the couch.

 

Hotch flinched at the mention of Reid, but was curious about the trick, “Oh yeah…what was the trick?”

 

“He taught us how to write invisible messages using lemon juice.  It was really cool!  I can write secret codes to my friends and no one would ever know,” Jack answered enthusiastically.

 

Something in Aaron’s mind clicked at the mention of the citrusy fruit.  He felt his heart start to beat faster, “How is that?”

 

“Well, you use the juice to write on the paper and it soaks in.  Then all your friend has to do is heat it up, Reid did it with our iron, and the message reappears,” Jack explained.  “So can we go out and buy some lemons?”

 

Hotch shot out of his seat on the couch and rushed to the door.  He started putting on his coat and asked his girlfriend, “Beth, could you take Jack out to the store to get some lemons?  Why don’t you guys get that hot fudge sundae too?  There is something really important I need to look into at the office and I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

 

Beth, used to this type of thing happening due to his job, looked him over curiously and said, “No problem!  What do you think, Jack?”

 

“Awesome!” the kid shouted as he ran to get his shoes.

 

“Thanks! I promise I’ll call later and explain everything,” Hotch said rushing out the doorway.

 

* * *

 

Garcia and Morgan were just wrapping up their weekly briefing when they noticed a winded Hotch clamoring up the bullpen stairway.  Curious as to what had their usually stoic boss in a tizzy, the two made their way out of Morgan’s office and over to Aaron’s.

 

As they peaked their heads inside the doorway they saw the stern man wrenching a box off his bookshelf.  “Hotch?  What’s going on?  I thought you had left for the day?”

 

The stone-faced agent looked up in surprise.  “What are you two still doing here?”

 

“Um…we were just going over some notes,” Garcia said.

 

“Still trying to hunt down Reid?” he asked bluntly.

 

Morgan stepped up and said, “Yeah, but we haven’t found him yet.”

 

“Well, I think I may have something here.  Do we have an iron anywhere on the premises?” Hotch asked as he pulled the letter out of the box of Reid’s belongings.

 

“An iron?  I think there might be one in the girl’s locker room,” Garcia said with confusion.

 

“Go and get it, quickly,” Hotch ordered while he traced over spots on the letter.

 

“Hotch, what’s going on man?” Morgan asked once she disappeared.

 

“Jack…he wanted to do a magic trick with lemons that Reid taught him,” Hotch muttered as his fingers found the rough spots from before.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Reid taught him how to write with invisible ink at his birthday party.  He used lemons as the ink and then heated up the paper to reveal the message,” Hotch explained.  “I think he might have written a hidden message on this piece of paper.”

 

“What makes you think that?”

 

“Well, I found some spots on here that smelled citrusy a few months ago.”

 

“You smelled the paper?” Morgan asked skeptically.

 

“Yeah, I’m not sure why…but I did.  So when Jack mentioned the invisible ink to me tonight, it got me thinking.  Why would Reid’s note have citrus stains on it?” Hotch explained.

 

“Here it is,” Garcia said holding up the iron triumphantly.

 

“Plug it in and heat it up,” Morgan instructed, getting just as excited about the prospect of a message as his boss.

 

They filled Garcia in on the theory while the iron heated up.  When the light on the appliance blinked they set the letter on the floor and placed the hot ceramic overtop of it.  Careful not to set the paper on fire, Hotch counted to ten and lifted it up revealing the paper underneath.

 

Silence dominated the room as the three members of the BAU took in a cry for help that was over four months old:

_HELP_

_OF. EDWARDS_

_KIDNAPPED ME_

_FOR AUCTION_

_ONLINE_

 

“Garcia call everyone and get them back in here,” Hotch ordered with a quiet fury.

 

* * *

 

“You can’t possibly expect me to settle on a price without looking over the product first,” said the man Reid now knew as Jacob Boyd.

 

“Of course, I would have been surprised if you didn’t want to inspect him,” Edwards said smoothly.

 

The terms of the sale had all been ironed out.  Reid was to be handed over to this man tomorrow night after his last session.  All that needed to be worked out was how much money needed to transfer hands to make that happen.

 

“Whore, stand up,” Edwards ordered as he grabbed the back of Spencer’s neck and jerked on it.

 

The genius quickly stumbled to his feet and kept his eyes downcast toward the floor.  He did not want to be sold to this man.

 

“Over here boy,” Jacob demanded.

 

With a push to his back, Reid shuffled over to the man and stood still.  He could feel the man’s cold eyes skimming his body looking for flaws.  The helpless agent couldn’t help but wish that his body was too mangled at this point to even interest the man anymore.

 

“I see he has more scars than the last time I met him,” Boyd observed.  “I do like the addition of these though,” he professed as he flicked at one of the nipple rings.

 

“I’m not liking the hair style, but that can be easily changed if we give it time to grow.  He’s also lost some weight.  Now how many clients did you say he’s entertained?” Jacobs asked as he grabbed Reid’s chin and looked him in the eyes.

 

“He’s had forty-eight clients since he’s been here,” Kaylee answered quickly.

 

“Hmm, so is he blown out?”

 

Reid let out a squeak at the man’s crass words.

 

“What whore?  You didn’t think that having that many men in your hole would damage you?  Here, bend over the table, I need to examine you.”

 

Reid’s whole body flushed in embarrassment as he backed up from Jacob.  “No.”  There was no way he was willingly going to let someone inspect him there.

 

A growl came from behind him as Edwards stood up and made his way over to the two men, “I told you what would happen if you didn’t listen.”

 

The cop roughly grabbed Reid’s bound arms and steered him over to the table.  He forced the agent to bend over the dark mahogany.  “Here sir.  Go ahead and look while I hold him down.”

 

Reid yelled out in protest as he felt the skin tight pants get tugged down to just below his buttocks.  His yells turned to yelps when he felt a finger get shoved into his body.  The single appendage was quickly followed by another, then another.

 

“He is a bit looser than I would have hoped.  But I can work with that.  Of course, this is going to bring the price down a little bit,” Jacob said as he wiped his two fingers on Reid’s exposed behind.

 

A sobbed escaped the mortified boy’s lips as his captor shoved him back on the ground without pulling his pants back up.  “Either you shut yourself up, whore, or I’ll make you be quiet!  Now, what is your offer, sir?”

 

The man wrote down on a piece of paper the amount he saw fit for owning Spencer Reid and slid it back over to Edwards.

 

Kaylee let out a whooping sound the second she saw the sum and Edwards allowed a big toothy smile to form on his face, “Deal!”


	10. Exchanging hands

After Edwards and Kaylee made the deal with Jacob they escorted him back upstairs to his cell.  The auction had concluded while they had been in the meeting and they needed to get Reid ready for his last client.  Edwards stayed with the genius while Kaylee went to check the special requests of the client.

 

“I knew that you would make us alot of money, but I never imagined this,” Edwards gloated.

 

Reid, who was sitting on the bed with his arms still bound behind his back, kept his head down and refused to comment.

 

“Did you ever think you would be worth so much?  Maybe you should have skipped school and just walked the streets of Las Vegas for money.  I bet you would have made a fortune,” Edwards continued examining his prisoner’s face for a reaction.

 

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Reid said as he finally looked up and stared down Edwards with fury flashing in his eyes.

 

Edwards, surprised by the comment, responded, “I already have.  Seriously, you still think someone is going to come and rescue you?  Or perhaps you think you’re going miraculously escape from Mr. Boyd’s clutches?  That’s laughable!  First of all, if anyone was even remotely interested in your whereabouts than I’m sure I would have heard about it at the office.  The first place they would have looked would have been here in Chicago.  So trust me when I say that the FBI hasn’t come sniffing around our precinct yet.  As for you, well…you’re just too weak to get away.  We haven’t been feeding you enough to supply you sufficient strength to fight us.  All the shocks I’ve administered to your body have attacked your nerves and brain, dulling your reflexes.  And that’s not even factoring how much your mental status has deteriorated after each session with our guests.  Hell, if you don’t agree with me think about the one and only time you tried to escape…you were thwarted by a door.  No, I think it’s safe to say that in less than a week Kaylee and I will be relaxing at some tropical locale while you’re…well, who knows what Mr. Boyd’s going to do to you.”

 

Edwards watched as the fury fizzled out of the boy’s eyes to be replaced with self-loathing, “I’m not weak, only weakened.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that,” the officer chuckled as he patted Reid’s knee.

 

Reid, fed up with being talked down to, jerked his leg up and shoved it into Edwards’s stomach.  The man stumbled back and landed on his ass.  He immediately clutched his stomach with his hand and glared at the boy.

 

“I suggest you stop underestimating me,” Reid hissed while getting up and pulling back his leg to land another kick to his captor’s body.

 

His leg was in mid-swing when the door opened and Kaylee walked in, “Wow, this last one is a doozy.  I hope you’ve got some mental reserves left boy.”

 

Reid’s focus was broken and his powerful delivery was thrown off by the sound of her voice.  The distraction provided enough of an opportunity for Edwards to counteract the blow that was coming.  He grabbed the genius’s ankle as it came toward his fleshy abdomen and viciously twisted it.  A cry escaped the boy’s lips as his leg was wrenched and his body fell down to the ground.

 

The cop scrambled to his feet and swiftly delivered a kick of his own to boy’s stomach, “That sure was stupid.  I hope this last client fucks your brains out in the most twisted and sick ways.  I want you leaving here a shell of the man you once were.”  He continued to kick the kid five more times and finished off his tirade by spitting a thick stream of saliva on the boy’s head.

 

Kaylee calmly walked over to the two men with the bundle in her arms.  She knew that she needed to let Terry’s anger run its course.  When her man had finished punishing the boy she cleared her throat to get his attention.

 

“What?” he asked vehemently.

 

“Calm down, you’ve proved your point,” she said pointing at the boy coughing and groaning on the floor.  “I need help getting him ready.”

 

He grunted and walked over to see how he could assist her.

 

“I need you to stand him up so I can put this on him,” she said showing him the emerald green corset with black boning and lace trim.

 

He smirked and said, “So it’s one of those guys?”

 

“Yeah, that and more,” she said gesturing for him to pick up the recovering Reid.

 

Edwards grabbed both of Reid’s forearms and pulled him up into a standing position.  Kaylee removed the gold chain necklace and unstrung the subsequent ones from his nipple rings.  Reid tried to struggle against Edward’s strong grip but the kicks left him too winded.

 

“I think I’ll leave the piercings on as a nice surprise if our guest unwraps his purchase,” she then loosened the lace in the back and unhooked the fasteners in the front.  She wrapped the garment around the skinny genius and started securing him into the corset.

 

“You’re going to need to undo his hands so I can lace him up,” she ordered Edwards after the front closures were fastened.

 

“Don’t give me any trouble boy,” the crooked cop growled as he finally released Reid’s wrists from the duct tape and twirled the boy around.

 

Kaylee stepped up to the laced back and started to tighten them.  Spencer started gasping for air as she yanked on each set of eyelets pulling the lace through them as tight as possible.  When she was done the usually willowy straight agent had and incredibly contoured waist.  She then went back around to his front, switching places with Edwards, and started undoing his pants.

 

Reid, uncomfortable as hell, started to wiggle his body back and forth trying to get out of the steely grip holding him still.  “Cut it out boy.  This is what the client wants, and we’re going to deliver.”

 

Kaylee pulled the pants completely off his pale bony legs leaving him completely exposed.  She pulled out a pair of ruffled black underwear and slid them up his body.  The woman completed his outfit by running black stockings up each leg and attaching them to the garters hanging off the bottom of the corset.

 

She stepped back and smiled, “Wow, I do believe he looks even prettier than me in that outfit.  If his hair was a bit longer than he could even pass as a girl.  All we need now is a decent pair of heels and I think he’s ready to go.  I’ll be right back.”

 

Once Kaylee left, Edwards took the opportunity to slide his hands down from Reid’s forearms and down to his wrists.  He crossed the genius’s left hand over the right and held them together with one fist, “Let’s move you to the room.  She can put all of the accessories on you in there.”

 

Reid, feeling absolutely ridiculous in the getup they forced on him, stumbled out into the hallway.  He was forced into the fancy room in which he first met the agalmatophiliac.  Once they were inside he was led over to the four poster bed and positioned in between the posts at the foot of the bed.  Edwards reached up to the top of the right pole and pulled down a leather cuff that he then fastened around the boy’s wrist.  He quickly fastened the other wrist to the opposite pole and went to work on Reid’s ankles.  When he was done the boy was strapped spread eagle to the posts of the bed.

 

“Kaylee was right, you do look pretty hot in that outfit.  Here, smile for the camera,” Edwards said as he brought out his smartphone and snapped a photo of the glaring bound agent.  “Perfect,” the man said as he walked up to Reid and showed him the photograph.  He then patted the boy on his cheek and said, “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it.  Be sure to enjoy yourself.”

 

The man then went to leave the room, circumventing Kaylee as she bustled in with a pair of heels that looked too small for the agent’s feet.

 

* * *

 

Rossi yawned as he walked into the BAU office and found the other members of his team already assembled, “So what dastardly crime has gathered us here so late?”

 

Hotch looked at the elder agent and said, “Have a seat.”

 

Sensing that he was missing out on an important piece of information the man quickly sat down and turned his attention to the team leader.

 

Hotch took a deep breath and started addressing JJ, Prentiss, and Rossi, “I called you in here tonight because we’ve discovered some alarming news about Reid.”

 

“Reid?  What happened?  Did he finally contact you?” JJ gushed out quickly.

 

With a grim look on his face Hotch pulled out a piece of paper and allowed it to flutter down onto the center of the table.  Rossi was quick to snatch it up and analyze it.  After he processed the message he passed it on to the two ladies, “How did you find this?”

 

“It’s a long story and as of right now it doesn’t matter.  What matters is the fact that Reid hasn’t been gallivanting around the country trying to find himself for the past four months, he was kidnapped.  This puts us in quite a position.  We are really late on the uptake and it’s possible that the trail leading to Reid may have run cold,” the stern agent announced.

 

“But Garcia and I have been trying to track down Reid this whole time so we do have some information that will help us get started.  Of course, we didn’t realize that he was abducted.  We just figured that he had fallen off the grid to keep us at bay,” Morgan explained wincing when he said the word abducted.

 

“Yeah, our baby genius hasn’t used his credit cards since he went missing.  All of his bills have been paid out of his bank accounts which are running low, and he hasn’t taken out a new phone line.  The last time anyone can account for his presence is at the airport after he disembarked from the plane.  After that there is no sign of him,” Garcia chattered at a fast pace.

 

“Wait…wait...he never checked into his hotel?” Emily asked incredulously.

 

“Nope.  Never,” Garcia answered.

 

“And you didn’t find that alarming?  You didn’t think to tell any of us?” she enquired.

 

Morgan decided to handle that question, “We realize now that we should have looked into that, but at the time I thought that maybe he decided to start his new life the second he got off the plane.  I honestly thought it was his way of falling off the grid.”

 

“Right…,” Prentiss trailed off with a look on her face that clearly said she would have reacted differently.

 

“Look, regrets will get us nowhere.  We need to focus on the letter and I think it would be best for us to be in Chicago by the morning,” Hotch said before the conversation was steered in the wrong direction.

 

“So what is the plan?” JJ asked as she fingered the hidden message with tears in her eyes.

 

“I’ve already called Chicago PD and told them that we are coming.  I’ve asked them to compile a list of officers with a name anywhere close to Edwards.  We need to team with the sex crimes unit and see if they have any leads on illegal online auctions.  Garcia, you need to see if you can track down footage from the airport the day Reid landed.  Try to figure out how he left the airport and we can try to track his movements from there.  Morgan, I want you to try to get ahold of the convention head that Reid was supposed to attend and see if he showed up.  Maybe he ran into someone at the ceremony that had an issue with him,” Hotch explained.

 

The team nodded their heads and started to gather their items.  Each one was lost in their thoughts desperately trying not to imagine all of the horrible things that may have happened to their youngest agent in the last four months.

 

* * *

 

Reid quickly figured out that that the man that had bought a night with him was turned on by transvestites.  The agent had tried to talk the man out of assaulting him, explaining that he wasn’t actually a cross-dresser but the client didn’t seem to care.  To make matters worse, the man’s arousal was amplified at the thought of getting away with rape.  So he didn’t give Reid any type of drugs and allowed the boy to struggle and fight him the whole session.

 

Spencer did fight his heart out that night trying to prevent the inevitable, but he just wasn’t strong enough.  The man easily had over one hundred pounds on him and muscles to rival Morgan’s.  He toyed with the weakened genius by allowing him to think that he would win a few times, but quickly proved to the boy how powerless he was.

 

At the end of the session Reid found himself still strapped into the corset and flung over coffee table in front of the couch.  The man had tied the genius’s hands to the legs of the table and was furiously taking him from behind.  Spencer was gasping for air because the man had undone the corset laces and was pulling them tighter and tighter throughout the assault.  He was slowly suffocating Reid while he thrust his manhood in and out of the abused hole.

 

Reid tried to beg him to stop but his mouth was gagged with one of the stockings that had been torn off his leg.  He felt himself beginning to pass out until the pressure on his ribcage started to diminish and the man behind him let out a keening moan.

 

The door to the room cracked open on the two men and Edwards stepped into the room, “You’re time is up buddy.  We need to get him ready for the move.”

 

The man above him grunted his acknowledgement and pulled out of Reid, “No worries.  We just finished up.  It’s a shame you sold him.  I would have paid double tonight’s price for another session.”

 

“Yeah well, it’s time for me and the missus to get out of the business.  You’ve got five minutes to clean up,” Edwards said closing the door.

 

Reid just laid there, still attached to the table, and waited for the man to leave.  He felt dirty and disgusting as some familiar liquid started to drip down his inner thighs.  It had been another night of unforgettable humiliation and shame.  The only positive that Reid could take out of the situation was the fact that he would never have to be in this room again.

 

It didn’t take long for his assaulter to leave him alone in the room.  And before he knew it Kaylee was in there releasing him from his awkward position on the table, “I heard he loved the corset.  You really did a good job at pulling it off.  Come now, we need to get you ready to go.  Mr. Boyd asked that you were showered, groomed and clothed by the time he got here.”

 

She pulled up the tired boy and dragged him back to his chambers, “Your clothes are in the bathroom already.  You’ve only got ten minutes to wash up and get dressed.”

 

Reid, exhausted and sore after what had just happened, staggered into the bathroom and took care of business.  When he reemerged eight minutes later his hair was tousled and wet, and he was trying to cover his naked chest with his hands.  When Kaylee said his clothes were in the bathroom, she lied.  The only thing waiting for him was a pair of black leather cut-off shorts and a black collar that he left on the counter.

 

“I see you forgot something,” she chided him as she stood up.

 

“What did he forget?” Edwards said from his perch on the bed.

 

Reid, surprised to find the man in the room, jumped at the sound of his voice.

 

“He didn’t put on the collar.”

 

“Go get it,” Edwards ordered.  “You’ve just got to push it don’t you?”

 

“I’m not going to willingly put something so degrading on my body,” Reid commented quietly standing up for himself.

 

“Willingly eh?” Edwards said as he zapped the genius down to the floor one last time.

 

Reid writhed on the floor in pain and shock.  He was flipped over onto his stomach and the collar was fixed around his neck.  Edwards then took another leather strip and buckled it around the collar and allowed it to trail down the boy’s pale back.  At the bottom of the strip were two cuffs which captured Reid’s wrists.

 

The cop grabbed the kid off the floor and stood him up.  Kaylee walked up to the boy and attached little black onyx stones to the nipple rings, “Perfect.  Oh, wait…I forgot these.”  She ran over to the table and grabbed two black strips of cloth.  She affixed one around his eyes and the other in his mouth.

 

Spencer was then marched out of his former prison and down into the apartment below.  He was forced into the living room and down onto his knees.

 

“Ahh, he looks marvelous,” Boyd’s voice said the second he saw his purchase.

 

“Just like you ordered,” Edwards said.

 

“Thank you.  So, here is your money.  Now, help me get him down to my car,” the man’s voice ordered.

 

“Of course, sir.”

 

Reid was wrenched up from his spot and left the apartment that he had been imprisoned in for the last four months.  He knew that he was being led back into the same freight elevator that he traveled in before.  There was a dinging noise when the lift reached the basement floor and he could feel the tile turn to concrete on his bare feet.

 

“Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Edwards,” Jacob said as he shook Terry’s free hand.

 

“The pleasure was all mine,” the officer responded.  “Where do you want him?  The trunk?”

 

“No, he can ride with me in the back.  The windows are tinted dark enough to block even the nosiest person’s view.  Put him on the floor,” Boyd instructed.

 

Reid was shoved through a door and pushed down hard onto the rough carpet of what he figured was a limousine.  He laid as still as possible as he listened to his new owner crawl into the vehicle.  The door shut and silence ensued.

 

The genius could feel the car begin to move and wondered where they were going.  How far away was this man going to take him?  How was he ever going to get free?

 

He heard some shuffling and then a hand gripped his thigh.  He let out a whimper of fear as the hand squeezed his milky white skin hard enough to bruise, “You look amazing.  I can’t wait to get you home and begin our time together.”


	11. The Cleansing

Spencer could feel his body trembling as Jacob ran his hands all over the genius’s body.  The boy tried to squirm away but there wasn’t anywhere for him to go.  The man hummed as his fingers outlined the jutting bones protruding from the kid’s neck.  He grabbed one of the most prominent ones and squeezed it tightly between his fingers. 

 

Reid clenched his jaw tightly around the black fabric that was stealing away all the moisture in his mouth.  He was determined to keep himself silent and not let out anymore sounds of discomfort.  He was well aware that sexual deviants like his owner were aroused by the whimpers of their victims.

 

Unfortunately, his body jump involuntarily when the spidery fingers moved from his neck up to his jaw.  The sudden caress along his protruding chin startled him, but he managed to withhold his gasp.  The hand that was stroking his skin suddenly gripped his chin and turned his head to the side.

 

“God, you look gorgeous!  I know that I already said that, but damn boy…you look so vulnerable and helpless that I can’t take my eyes off of you.  I’m not sure I can control myself long enough for the doctor to look you over,” Jacob stated as he started brushing his other hand over the agent’s shortened hair.

 

The genius shifted his body trying to dislodge his chin from the man’s grasp.  A small moan escaped his lips when his bound wrists dug deeper into the flesh of his back.

 

“Oh, I know you’re uncomfortable, but we’re almost home.  Once we get there I’ll take you to our rooms and then the doctor will examine you for any signs of STIs.  I think it’s safe to assume that you are probably filthy after the amount of partners you’ve entertained over the last four months.  I can’t have myself getting sick because you’re carrying around diseases with you.  Anyways, after that we’ll get you cleaned up and then I have to go to work,” the man explained while the car parked in front of their destination.

 

Reid could hear the driver’s door open and listened as footsteps crunched gravel while the chauffeur made his way to the back of the limo.  He felt Jacob shift around on the bench seats and felt his presence vacate the vehicle when the door was opened for him.

 

“Get him out,” he heard Jacob tell the driver.

 

Moments later someone grabbed his ankles and pulled him along the floor of the car.  His bound hands scraped across the carpet earning him a nasty rug burn.  He decided to kick his feet to show his noncompliance and he felt some mild satisfaction when his right leg broke the grip and made contact.  He heard a muffled “oomph” come from his owner’s lackey and Jacob said, “What the hell is going on?”

 

“That little shit kicked me,” he heard the other man complain.

 

“Can’t you do anything right?” Jacobs yelled.  “Just get him out of the car.”

 

The hands were back moments later jerking him out of the car and onto the gravel driveway.  Pebbles and rocks jabbed into his bare flesh and his head jarred off the ground.  He was roughly lifted up by his armpits and made to stand on his feet.

 

“I hope that hurt,” the man mumbled as he steered the boy over to Mr. Boyd.

 

Reid was then forced to his knees and his blindfold was removed.  It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the morning sunlight, but when his orbs had cleared he saw an expansive mansion laid out in front of him.

 

If he had thought Rossi’s home was large than this one would be classified as massive.  The design was inspired by the southern plantations of old.  It had at least three stories and an expansive porch that wrapped around the whole house.  To the left and right were rows of trees and shrubs that blocked out the view of the neighboring homes.  He could discern a wrought iron fence between the trees and knew that this was a gated home.

 

Jacob chuckled as he watched the brown hues widen at the sight in front of him, “Welcome home.  I know you’ll be very happy here.”

 

Spencer tilted his head and looked at the man with disdain.  He wanted to refute the statement and shout that he could never be happy as long as he was someone’s captive.  He wanted to break free from the bonds that were restraining him.  He wanted to run away and get back to the safety of his home in Virginia.  But, alas, he knew that none of those things were going to happen.  He could only weakly sit by and allow his body to be used and abused by this man.

 

“I’ll take him from here, Sampson.  Have the car ready for my drive to work,” Jacob ordered as he gripped Reid’s arm and pulled him up.

 

The two walked through the double doors leading into the foyer of the mansion.  There was an enormous stairway that welcomed them.  On either side of the stairs were hallways that led to the east or west wings of the first floor.  A small maid bustled out of the west hallway upon hearing the sound of the front doors opening.

 

“Good morning, Ecatarina,” Jacob said to the brunette woman.

 

“Bună dimineaţa,” she responded quickly.

 

“That’s Ecatarina.  She’s my maid and she only speaks Romanian.  Of course there are a few English phrases that she understands, but not much.  Luckily, my parents exposed me to many different cultures while I was growing up.  As a result, I’m fluent in twelve languages,” Jacob boasted, steering the boy up the white marble staircase leaving the woman behind to do her chores.

 

They walked up to the second floor and then Jacob took him down the western hallway.  There must have passed at least five doors before arriving at their destination.

 

“This is the master bedroom suite.  You will be staying in here with me until I decide to give you free reign of the house, which won’t be for a while,” Jacobs explained before opening the door.

 

Spencer was ushered into the room and looked around at his new living space.  The square footage of the room was comparable to his whole apartment.  Everything someone could require was present in the room; a California king sized bed, dining table, couches, fireplace, exercise equipment, a balcony, bookshelves, and a mini-kitchen.  In contrast to the luxurious items that filled the room there were multiple eyehooks of different sizes drilled into various locations throughout the room.

 

Jacob, smiling at the boy’s awestruck eyes, closed the door behind them and locked it with his key, “Come now, we need to hurry so I won’t be late to the office.”

 

He walked the boy over to one of the three doors that was positioned throughout the room and opened it revealing a closet of expensive suits and work clothes.  He pushed the boy inside and guided him to the back.  The man pushed aside a few Armani suits and turned a knob embedded in the wall.  The whole back wall of the closet swung open revealing another large room.

 

This room was dank, dark, and dreary with only a little bit of light breaking up the shadows.  There was another bed positioned in the room, but along with it was a surgeon’s table, something that resembled a dentist’s chair, various lengths of shackles, and a wall that was dedicated to any and all sex toys.

 

Beside the steel table in the corner of the room was an older looking male with a white lab coat that went down to his knees.  He had a tray of instruments situated next to him that contained a few needles, vials, a speculum, swabs, some sort of liquid in a glass bottle, and some tubing that had a bulb at one end.

 

Jacob started pushing the boy over to the table but Reid started to resist by digging in his heels.  The doctor, seeing the difficulties the other man was having, rushed over and helped drag the patient the rest of the way.  They forced Spencer to the narrow end of the table and had him bend over it at his waist.  The doctor bent down and secured the boy’s chicken legs into the cuffs that were attached to the feet of the table.  His owner attached a length of chain to the collar and fastened it to a metal ring that was under the table.

 

Panic coursed through Reid’s body when he tried to move his head only to find that there was no slack in the chain.  He couldn’t even manage to turn it to see what was happening behind him.  Uselessly, he started to tug at his hands to see if he could get them free, but the bindings were as tight as ever.  So, going against his earlier decree to not let out a sound, the genius tried to talk through his gag.

 

Hearing the boy’s muffled speech, Mr. Boyd crouched down and leveled his eyes with his captive.  He gently laid his hand on the boy’s cheek and said, “Calm down.  The doctor here is going to do his examination and take some samples from you.  Then, once we know what type of nasty viruses you have we will get you some medicine to combat them.”

 

Reid tried to shake his head to signal that he didn’t want to be examined and let out a stifled, “No.”

 

“Oh my pretty whore, it’s not your choice.  Doctor, please get started.  I’m sure you’ve got to head to work soon too.”

 

“Sure do,” the doctor answered. 

 

The physician picked up the blood collection needle first and inspected the boy’s bound arms.  He swiftly inserted it into the milky white flesh and drew three vials of blood.  He then set those down on the tray and picked up the speculum.  Without any care for the patient, he slipped down the leather shorts and inserted the cold metal into the anal cavity and cranked it open.  He heard the whimpers of discomfort coming from the front of the table but continued on with the procedure anyways.  The doctor used his swabs to collect samples from the inner walls before removing the devise.  He then took the tubing from the tray and inserted it into the boy’s anus.

 

“Well, my work here is done.  I’ve left it set up for you if you decide to really go through with the cleansing.  As I told you before though, it’s not going to get rid of any viruses he may have,” the man explained as he gathered up his samples.

 

Jacob didn’t respond to the doctor’s comment and just shook his hand, “Let me see you out.  I’ll have the money transferred before you even get to your car.  Please let me know as soon as possible what the results are.”

 

The doctor nodded and followed Jacob out of the room, leaving the genius attached to the table.

 

The second they were gone Reid tugged and pulled with all his might at the restraints holding him down to no avail. He was so lost in trying to free himself that he didn’t even realize that he had tears streaming down his face onto the metal surface below him.  When he finally admitted defeat he rested his head on the table and focused on trying to push the gag out of his mouth.

 

Mr. Boyle came back into the hidden room a few minutes later and walked over to the wall of toys.  He grabbed an anal plug along with a harness and returned back to his bound charge.  He walked behind Reid and picked up the bottle of liquid, “I’ve got to get going real soon, but before I leave I want to make sure you are clean.  So, I’m going to insert this mixture of water and vinegar into your rectum.  You’re going to hold the liquid in while I’m gone to give it enough time to work.  I’m going to pop in this plug to help you keep the solution inside of you.  By the time I get back the mixture should have successfully killed off any nasty particles that are living there and ease my mind for when I enter you later today.”

 

Upon hearing this man’s plan Spencer tried to speak out.

 

“Did you want to say something?” Jacob asked as he walked around to meet Reid eye to eye.

 

The genius nodded his head the best he could to signal to the man that he did indeed have something to say.  The man reached around the kid’s head and undid the tight knot in the fabric.  Eager to be rid of the annoying cloth, Reid pushed it out with his tongue.

 

“If I have a virus that mixture won’t kill anything off.  I need medicine to cure an STI,” he croaked due to his dry mouth.

 

“That’s what the doctor said too, but I don’t entirely agree.  Anyways, there’s nothing wrong with decontaminating your pipes.  You’ll be nice and sparkly clean for later.  Now let me put that back in,” the mas said reaching to retie the gag.

 

“You…you don’t have to do that.  I’ll be quiet,” Reid appealed not wanting to have to taste the fabric anymore.

 

“No…the books I read about training a sex slave made it clear that you have to learn that everything in this world comes from me.  The right to talk, see, move, eat, and drink are all privileges that I bestow upon you when you earn them.  As of right now you have earned nothing.  I’m going to replace this and your blindfold for the duration of the day,” Jacob explained in a serious tone of voice while tying the black cloth tightly in Reid’s rosebud mouth.  He then pulled the blindfold out of his pocket and enveloped the boy in darkness once again.

 

Reid could sense him moving back to the rear of the table.  A clattering came from behind him and out of nowhere he felt a rush of fluid enter his body.  He felt more and more liquid being added into the relatively small space.  He wiggled his bottom a bit to signal his discomfort and earned a fierce smack in return.  After a few more pumps the genius felt the insertion of the plug into his hole.  He tried to clench his cheeks to force the vile thing out, but he felt the pressure from Jacob’s hand stopping it from being expelled.

 

“Stop it.  You’re not taking it out.  I’m putting this harness on you right now to make sure it stays in while I’m gone,” the man scolded the helpless boy.

 

Once the harness was secured and tightened the man pulled the boy’s shorts back up and fastened the button to keep them in place.  Next he carefully removed Reid’s ankles from the restraints and unfastened the chain from under the table.  He used the leash to pull Reid back into the master bedroom.  He led to boy over to the bed and forced him down on his bottom.  He then attached the leash to the eyehook sticking out of the wall, making sure there was no slack for movement.

 

“I want to find you just like this when I get home,” the man said clapping his hands together with glee.  “I’ll be back sooner than you think!  I took a half-day today because I knew you would be here.  I wish I could have taken the whole day off, but I have an important meeting in another hour.  But rest assured that when I do get home we are going to learn so much about each other.”

 

Spencer felt a soft kiss get pressed onto his gagged lips.  The man sighed out a lustful breath of air as he whispered into his captive’s ear, “We’re going to be so happy together.”

 

* * *

 

The team clambered off the jet the second it was parked on the tarmac.  They knew that every moment wasted was another moment that Reid was in hell.  They split up into two SUVs and made their way to the main precinct downtown.

 

Once they arrived they piled out and went inside to meet the chief.  The man was expecting them and had already set up a room in anticipation of their arrival.  He showed the team around and debriefed them on the various tools at their disposal.  He didn’t offer any help due to the fact that his officers were working their own cases.

 

“I left the list of officer’s on the table over there along with their personnel files,” Chief Meray said gesturing at the piece of paper on the table.

 

“Thank you, Sir.  We’ll let you know if we need anything else,” Hotchner said as the man walked out of the room.

 

Morgan had already picked up the list and was scrolling through the names.  There were over twenty names on the list that contained some form of the name “Ed.”  His eyes quickly narrowed in on the five that actually had the full “Edwards” name though.

 

“According to the list there are two officers with the first name of Edward, and three with the last name Edwards.  Our boy genius would never just add an extra “S” to the end of the name, so I suggest we focus on the three men with Edwards for a last name first,” Morgan extrapolated after looking over the list.

 

“Agreed,” Hotch said pulling out the three files that met the requirements.  “Alright, Prentiss, Rossi, and I will interview the officers and try to get a feel for them.  Garcia, you need to start trying to track Reid’s movements once he left the airport.  Morgan, you still need to try to get in touch with the people that were running that awards ceremony that Reid was going to attend.  JJ you’re going to lend a hand with the interviews and float between rooms to keep us all updated with new information.”

 

Everyone nodded before breaking off to their respective tasks.

 

* * *

 

Reid was sitting uncomfortably on the hardwood floor trying not to squirm around too much.  He had already felt the anal plug plunge deeper into his hole a few times this morning while he was adjusting his position.  Unfortunately, trying not to move was easier said than done because it felt like the vinegar was eating away at his innards.  He knew that woman used vinegar when cleansing their private areas but they didn’t hold it inside for hours.

 

A loud slam of a door somewhere close by startled the boy’s thoughts away from the corrosive liquid that was bottled up inside of him.  He turned his head towards the sound’s origin and strained to listen for signs of someone being in the room with him.

 

The bound agent cursed the blindfold that was wrapped around his eyes for the billionth time. He tried to dislodge it again by scraping his head up and down on the wall behind him but it wouldn’t budge.  He expelled a huff of air around the gag when he gave up his mission.

 

He almost jumped a mile high when a gentle hand tugged the cloth out of his mouth and held a water bottle up to his lips.

 

“That’s it.  I figured you must be thirsty by now,” Jacob said as he allowed the boy to drink his fill.

 

“Please…,” Reid whispered when the replenishing liquid was taken away.  “Please take it out.”

 

Jacob allowed a smile to light up his face when he heard his whore pleading, “That’s what we’re going to do now.  And I’ve got some great news…your test results came back and by some miracle you’ve received a clean bill of health.  Of course, we’re going to have to get you tested for HIV again in another three months just to be sure.”

 

The man reached behind Reid and released the clasp on the chain holding the boy to the wall.  Jacob then helped the boy stand on his feet and guided him into the master bathroom.  He placed his scrawny prisoner in the stand-up shower and peeled the shorts off his body.

 

He stood back and took in the sight of the thin body shivering in fear.  The genius looked magnificent with the black blindfold and gag standing out against his pale skin.  The bound hands were wiggling about still struggling to be free.  The biggest turn on for the stocky man was the harness cinched around the boy’s waist.  It reminded him of some of the pictures he had perused online when researching sexual slaves and how to tame them.

 

The sleazy business man smiled as he felt his arousal tighten in his pants.  He needed to move fast because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could contain his urges.  So he reached his hand into the shower and turned on the hot water.  The spray startled his captive, who let out a little yelp.  Jacob then grasped the whore’s arms and turned him so that he was facing the wall.  This allowed the man to unfasten the harness and take out the plug.

 

Reid instantly flew back around and fell down to his knees on the tiled ground, allowing nature to take its course.  He was so embarrassed to be sitting there in the stream of water as all sorts of disgraceful particles exited his body.  For once he was thankful that he was blindfolded because he didn’t think he could look the other man in the eye.  Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he would look anyone in the eye after all of this.

 

“Stand up and let me clean you off,” Jacob ordered as he lathered up a washcloth.

 

On shaky legs, the genius got up and stood by complacently as the man scrubbed him down.  He bristled as the soapy cloth invaded all of his most private areas.  No crevasse was left unwashed and nothing about Reid’s body was his own anymore.  About five minutes later the water shut off and he was pulled from the shower and dried off with a towel.

 

His body was then led back into the bedroom and left to stand in the middle of the room completely naked and exposed.

 

“Stay just like that,” Jacob ordered.

 

Spencer, stood shakily as he waited for the assault to start.  He was surprised when he heard a clanging coming from the direction of the mini-kitchen instead.  Minutes later he could hear the man shuffling over to the table and setting down what sounded like two plates.

 

“Would you like to eat something?” came the squeaky voice of his captor.

 

Unsure of how to answer this question, the brown-eyed boy just stood there stock still.

 

“It’s one in the afternoon.  You must be starving.  I bet you haven’t had anything to eat since sometime yesterday.  I made you a ham sandwich.  Here, smell it,” the man demanded holding the sandwich under the boy’s nose.

 

Reid could feel his stomach roll with the anticipation of actually eating some food.  Truth be told he hadn’t been given anything to eat in over a day.

 

“So, are you hungry?”

 

A small hesitant nod was the only answer the man received.

 

“Excellent!” Jacobs exclaimed as he grabbed Reid’s shoulders and steered him toward the table.  Once he had the boy next to the tabletop he forced him down onto his knees.  The stocky man then sat on a chair and pulled down his pants.

 

“There’s only one thing you have to do first before you eat…,” the man trailed off as he removed the gag from the boy’s mouth.

 

Reid was in the middle of stretching out his jaw when he heard the comment and felt his body stiffen.  Suddenly he felt a meaty hand force his mouth open and another one push his head down onto a bulbous piece of flesh.

 

“You’ve gotta suck me off.”

 

* * *

 

Rossi strode back into the conference room after he finished his interrogation of Officer Raymond Edwards.  The man worked out of one of the other precincts and had not seemed the least bit suspicious.  In fact, the officer was so compliant that he offered his assistance in the search for the missing FBI agent.

 

The elder agent was surprised to find Agent Hotchner and JJ already in the room when he entered, “How did yours go?”

 

Hotch looked up from the file he was reading and said, “Officer Terry Edwards went home sick earlier this morning.  And he apparently he took the next few days off to recover from whatever bug he seemed to have caught.”

 

“So what?  Call him and make him come back in.  This is an investigation and I couldn’t care less if he has the sniffles,” Rossi said incredulously.

 

“I already did that Dave.  His cell phone went straight to voicemail and no one answered his landline.  I’m thinking that we may need to make a house call if we don’t hear back from him soon,” Hotch said before directing his next statement to JJ.  “Did you get any information from their sex crimes unit about illegal online auctions taking place in the city?”

 

“I tried, but coincidentally the head of the sex crimes department is Officer Terry Edwards.  It seems that he is in charge of running the unit and his specialty is human trafficking,” JJ responded.

 

Rossi and Hotch exchanged a look before the stern chief vocalized, “We need to wait for Prentiss’s interview to get over before we go jumping to conclusions.  While we wait let’s find out what Morgan and Garcia have uncovered.  If Prentiss’s cop doesn’t feel good for the job than we will focus all our efforts on Terry Edwards.”

 

Rossi nodded and instead of taking a seat at the table, he wandered off to Prentiss’s interrogation room to observe.  He was starting to get a gut feeling that told him not to sit around and wait on investigating Terry Edwards.  There was just too many coincidences tied to the man, and Rossi wondered if they were going to regret not looking into him sooner.


	12. 3 Simple Rules

Prentiss’s interview turned out to be a bust, just like Rossi’s.  The officer she was interviewing turned out to be a female traffic cop that had just transferred to her station house two months ago.  In addition to the interviews leading nowhere Morgan also found out that the awards ceremony that Reid was supposed to attend doesn’t exist.

 

“So someone, named Officer Edwards according to Reid’s note, lured the kid here using the ceremony as a ruse,” Rossi said summing up the information they had so far.

 

“I agree, but these people took quite a gamble on Reid attending.  Do you think they were in contact with him before he came out here?” JJ asked the team.

 

“I know that there was a phone number on his invitation so that he could confirm his attendance,” Morgan stated.

 

Rossi gave him a strange look, “How do you know that?”

 

“I was with him when he was trying to decide whether or not to go.  I kinda pushed him into attending.   I told him that it would help him make up his mind about staying with the bureau,” Morgan explained with heavy guilt lacing his voice.

 

Noticing that his agent was starting to allow his feelings impede his thoughts, Hotch cut in quickly, “Let’s not dwell on why Reid decided to go to the banquet.  We need to figure out who lured him out here and where he is now.”

 

Prentiss went to make a comment but was interrupted by the clacking heels of Penelope Garcia bustling into the room with his voluptuous hips swaying back and forth hold a print out in her hand, “I’ve found something guys.”

 

Everyone immediately straightened up their postures and looked to the perky blonde for more information.

 

“Don’t keep us waiting,” JJ said in a shrill voice.

 

“Well, I was finally got the video feed from the airport and I scrolled through it looking for Reid.  It wasn’t too hard to locate our genius after fast-forwarding to his arrival time and viewing the recording that was focused on his gate.  Anyways, I was able to see our superkid disembark from his flight with his carry-on bag.  From there I had to jump around to multiple camera feeds to follow him through the airport, and by the way, O’Hare is a gigantic airport,” she explained in on huff of air.

 

“Garcia, focus,” Hotch said redirecting her.

 

“Of course…anyways he didn’t go to baggage claim and instead just headed out the arrivals doorways.  Once outside he hailed a cab and sped away.  Luckily, the taxi he picked was in the perfect position for me to get a snapshot of the license plate number.  So now we can contact the cab company and figure out who was driving Reid around the town,” she concluded with satisfaction.

 

“Ah, baby girl, you are amazing,” Derek gushed from his spot at the table.

 

“I know!” she gloated as she flung the black and white photo of the cab down onto the table.

 

“Alright, this is good.  JJ, you’re going to call the cab company and work with them to get ahold of the driver.  Garcia, help her out if she needs it.  Rossi and I will go to Officer Terry Edwards’s apartment and try to interview him there.  As of right now he is our best led, especially since the other officers have proven to be dead ends.  Also, while we’re gone I want you guys to mill about and try to find out more about Edwards from his fellow officers.  Try to figure out what he was working on, who he associated with, the hours he worked, and what he did for fun.  Finally, Morgan, you and Prentiss are going to interview the driver when he gets here.  Have some pictures of all three officers available to see if he recognizes any of them,” Hotch ordered before he grabbed his suit coat and walked out the door with Rossi.

 

* * *

 

Rossi’s gnarled hand knocked on the only apartment door on the sixty-fifth floor, “This is a pretty expensive pad for someone living on an officer’s salary.”

 

Hotch looked around the vestibule and nodded his head in agreement.  He was frustrated that no one had answered the door yet, especially since the officer was supposed to be home sick.  He reached his hand up and rang the doorbell three times, trying to wake up the officer on the chance he had fallen asleep.

 

“Yeah,  I bet that owning a whole floor of a Chicago high-rise would be something that someone in your pay grade would be better able to afford,” the stern agent teased knowing that Rossi could probably afford to buy half the floors of the building.

 

Rossi shrugged, “I can’t help it if people enjoy reading my books.”

 

The younger agent went to respond when the door in front of him opened to reveal a young woman.

 

“Can I help you, sirs?” she said hesitantly.

 

Both men took out their badges and flashed them to ease her nervous tension, “Yes ma’am.  I’m Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Rossi.  We’re here to talk to Officer Terry Edwards.  Is he available?”

 

“Oh, you need to speak to Terry?  What’s this about?  I would hate to wake him up if it isn’t that important.  He’s feeling under the weather and came home sick from work this morning,” she inquired.

 

“Ma’am, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t urgent.  Could you please let him know we are here?” Rossi asked.

 

“I…I…uh guess.  Oh, how rude of me.  Would you two like to come in?” she asked stepping back from the doorway.

 

The two men took her up on her offer and followed her into the spacious apartment.  She led them into a plush living room and told them to have a seat.  Before she walked away Hotch stopped and asked her, “And what is your name, ma’am?”

 

“I’m so sorry.  I was so surprised by you showing up that I forgot my manners.  I’m Kaylee Williams, Terry’s girlfriend.  I’ll go wake him now,” she said before she sauntered off.

 

Rossi immediately took to his phone and texted Garcia the girls name with instructions to run a full background check on her.

 

Neither man took a seat and decided to inspect the living space instead.  Rossi wandered over the bookcase and started to peruse all the titles that filled the shelves.  He wasn’t surprised to find that the majority of the books were focused on serial killers, sexual crimes, and the law.  He pulled a copy of one of his books off the shelf and flipped through it to find the most frequented pages.

 

Meanwhile, Hotch ended up in front of one of the large picture windows that took up the whole wall.  He pushed back the thin white curtain and took in the impressive view of the city.  Again he marveled at how much money this place must cost and wondered how the officer and his girlfriend were funding it.

 

The two men were lost in their musing when they heard a voice say, “What can I do for you gentleman?”

 

Rossi placed the book back on the shelf and Hotch turned around to face the attractive officer.  “Sir, we’re here on an investigation involving one of our FBI agents.  We’d like to interview you to see if you could help us develop a lead.”

 

“I don’t understand.  I don’t know any agents.  How would I be of any help?” the man asked around a few coarse coughs.

 

“You are in charge of the sex crimes unit of the Chicago PD, correct?” Rossi asked.

 

The man nodded his head.

 

“We were hoping you could tell us about your team’s current investigations and if any of them involve online sex trafficking.  You see, we believe that one of our agents has been taken and placed into a local trafficking ring,” Rossi explained leaving out how they came to this conclusion.

 

“Oh…well…I just oversee the unit.  It’s the task forces that investigate actual leads.  Currently we do have one group of investigators looking into a sex trafficking ring, but I’m not sure it’s the one you want,” Edwards answered as he sat on the couch and blew his nose in a tissue.

 

“I see…so you don’t know the details of the investigations you oversee?” Hotch questioned skeptically.

 

“I’m saying that I’m aware of the investigations but not all the details,” Edwards countered defensively.

 

“You haven’t happened to see this young man’s picture floating around in any of the case files have you?” Rossi asked producing a picture of Reid.

 

The man grabbed the photo and analyzed it briefly, “No, can’t say that I have.  You might have better luck showing it to my subordinates.”

 

Rossi took the picture back and heaved a great sigh, “How long have you been in charge of the sex crimes unit?”

 

Edwards looked up at Rossi with a confused expression at the abrupt change in questioning, “I…uh…I’ve been in charge for the past few months.  The previous lead took a transfer to New York and I jumped on the chance to further my career.”

 

“Did the promotion help you afford this place?  I mean…this is one impressive apartment,” Rossi inquired.

 

“I don’t see how that’s relevant to your investigation.  Which, by the way, you neglected to tell me was all about,” Terry responded.

 

“Oh, it doesn’t have anything to do with it.  I’m just taken by the view and space you’ve got here.  I’ve been meaning to buy a second home to vacation at when I’m taking time off from the bureau.  I am starting to see the appeal of this Windy City.  So, I was just curious as to whether or not this would be in my budget.”

 

“Well, let’s just say that I know the owner of the building and he gave me a ridiculous deal when it comes to rent.  If he hadn’t I would be living on the outskirts of town in something more police salary appropriate,” Terry explained forcing another hacking cough out of his lungs.

 

Rossi raised an eyebrow at the obvious fake cough and turned to Hotchner, “Anything else?”

 

Hotch decided to make a last ditch effort for information and asked, “Look, have you ever met Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid?  He went missing about four months ago when he came out here to attend a fake conference.  We think he was lured here by sex traffickers and that someone in the police force is connected to his disappearance.”

 

“No, can’t say that I have met anyone by that name,” Terry answered as his eyes started smoldering.

 

“Okay, have any of your officers been acting suspicious or out of character, especially the ones working the online trafficking cases?”

 

Terry took a minutes to act like he was thinking about his subordinates and shook his head back and forth.

 

“Alright, well…thank you for your time.  We’re going to be in town at your precinct for the next couple of days working on this investigation.  Contact us there if you can think of anything helpful,” Hotch instructed as they made their way out of the apartment.

 

Once the grandiose door closed behind them and they were safely ensconced in the elevator Rossi broke the silence, “He seemed too clueless to be in charge of a unit.  And did you see the sparkle in his eyes when you finally mentioned Reid?”

 

“Yeah…he was obviously hiding something.  Unfortunately, we need more proof that he may be involved to get a warrant to search his place.  The others aren’t going to like it,” Hotch said staring straight ahead at his reflection in the stainless steel doors.

 

“No…they’re not.  Hopefully they’ve tracked down the taxi driver, because as of right now he’s our last hope for information,” Rossi said with a finality as the doors swished open letting the two agents out into the lobby.

 

* * *

 

The second the agents left the apartment Edwards locked the door tight and dashed off down the hallway.  Kaylee was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee warming her hands.  She looked up with worry as her boyfriend burst into the room.

 

“We’ve gotta pack up now!  Move!  They’re onto us,” Terry cried.

 

“What?  How?” she asked incredulously.

 

“I don’t know!  But I think somehow that little shit got a message out to them,” Edwards shouted down the hallway.

 

“When?  He only had contact with them once and we dictated the message,” she reasoned.

 

“Hell if I know, but they knew that he was lured out here and kidnapped by an online human trafficking organization.  They even think that a local officer is involved.  Somehow that kid manipulated the letter, it’s the only answer,” he disputed while he pulled a suitcase out of the storage closet.

 

“Shit,” Kaylee said going to help him pull out the rest of the luggage set.

 

“Shit doesn’t even begin to cover it.  Look, I’m going to start packing our things.  You get online right now and book us on a flight to Aruba tonight!  If there aren’t any available flights pick a different Caribbean Island, one that isn’t under U.S. jurisdiction,” he ordered.

 

“On it,” she replied dashing off down the hall.

 

* * *

 

“Nghhh...,” the man cried out as he spilled his load down the narrow throat of his new purchase.  He had his hand gripping the boy’s head keeping it in place until he was completely empty.  Jacob thrust his hips up and down a few more times enjoying the feeling of his whore’s lips sliding back and forth on his wilting muscle.

 

He felt the boy struggle to pull his head out of the steely grasp keeping him in place.  According to the research he had done this was a behavior that he couldn’t let pass.  The blogs that he had been reading discussed how he must punish even the slightest bit of independent thinking.  Right now the beautiful slave at his feet deserved a consequence for struggling to get away from his master before he was given permission.

 

Slowly, Jacob let the boy up for air and watched as he coughed trying to replenish his oxygen supply.  Once Reid was done gasping the stocky man shoved the gag back in the kid’s mouth and tied it tightly, “I know that I said you would get some food after you were done, but you just had to put up a fight.  Struggling against me is not allowed and for that the only thing you will taste today is my cum in your mouth.”

 

The agent could feel his cheeks heating up in response to the man’s words.  He bowed his head and gnashed the cloth that was wedged between his teeth.

 

Jacob smiled at the boy’s reaction and knew that he was on the right path to breaking his victim down to complete compliance.  “Come now.  It’s time to go over some of the rules.”

 

The man jerked Reid up into standing position and led him back into the room hidden behind the closet.  His naked body immediately reacted to the colder room and gooseflesh started raise up all over his skin.  The bound genius wished he could move his arms from behind his back and wrap them around his torso to try to bring back some semblance of warmth.  He was tempted to grind his heels in and refuse to move but he didn’t want to earn another punishment.

 

Jacob stopped yanking on his chain and forced him back to the same table where he was checked over by the doctor and cleansed earlier.  The man refastened him down the same as before and stood back.

 

The slave master admired his bound servant.  His scrawny legs were splayed wide open inviting him to come in and play with the creamy white ass that was presented so beautifully on the edge of the table.  As always, the kids restrained hands were twisting back and forth in the cuffs trying in vain to get free, but never managing to complete their mission.  The boy’s chest was heaving up and down as panic set in upon realizing that his time he was not here just for a check-up.  The icing on the cake was the way the slave would tug on the chain keeping his head in place, forever trying to release himself from his hopeless situation.

 

Jacob walked back over to the boy and started stroking his milky white posterior.  The kid stiffened up under his touch, “Let’s get started.”

 

“First of all, as I stated earlier all privileges are earned by pleasing me.  In order to do that you must follow all of my rules and never show me any defiance.  There are many rules that you will learn over your time here, but we are going to start off easy.  Rule number one: whenever you address me you will call me master. Rule number two: you will not speak unless spoken to.  Rule number three: you will not be allowed to have any sort of pleasure without my permission.  That is enough for now, we will get to the rest of the rules later,” Jacob explained while he removed the gag from Reid’s mouth.

 

The boy, happy to have his mouth free, whispered out, “Please, stop this now.  I’m an FBI agent and -.”

 

His plea was cut off by a resounding smack to his bare bottom.  The boy yelped out in surprise at the sudden slap and felt a burning sensation at the point of contact.

 

“What rule did you just violate?” a harsh voice asked from behind him.

 

Reid licked his lips and said, “Please, just let me go.  I’ll tell them that you cooperated with me and -.”

 

Two more hard paddles landed on his behind causing him to cringe in pain.  Jacob took a deep breath and then swatted his slave again to get his point across, “I don’t think you understand the rules.  I’ll repeat them again, and if you choose to violate them again there will be a more severe punishment.  Rule number one was that you always address me as master.  Rule number two was that you only speak when spoken to. Do you understand?”

 

Reid nodded his head and remained silent.  It was obvious to him that his captor thought he was untouchable by the law and that pushing his appeals would earn him more pain.

 

“Use your words,” growled Jacob, determined to break the boy’s resolve.

 

The agent heard the direction but was having a mental battle on how to respond.  He didn’t want to call the man master, but he didn’t want to see what a more severe punishment would entail.  He could hear Jacob slowly creeping up next to his head and quickly made a choice, “I understand…m…master.”  Upon saying those words the genius felt a bit of his mental resolve break.

 

Jacob, seemingly placated for the moment, backed up to his original position at the rear of the table, “Excellent.  Now I am going to move on to the initial training stage.”

 

Reid didn’t say a word but felt a shiver of anticipation jolt through his body upon hearing the man’s tone.  He knew that whatever was going to happen next wasn’t going to be pleasant.

 

Jacob smirked as he saw the boy’s body tremble at the implication of his words.  The stocky man walked over to the wall of instruments and withdrew a large vibrator, a tube of lube, and another devise.  He made his way back to the prone slave and lathered the silicon instrument in preparation.

 

“I want you to repeat after me:  I am yours.  I belong to you,” the man paused to give the boy time to copy his words.

 

Spencer, humiliated at the thought of mimicking such freedom stripping words, held his tongue.

 

“So it’s going to be like that.  Well, let’s see how long you can hold out with this,” the man said as he pulled out a silicone chastity cage and fastened it to Reid’s manhood.  He then grabbed the vibrator and started to plunge it, without any preparation besides lube, into the boy’s hole.

 

If the man could have seen the large brown eyes behind the blindfold he would have known that they were the size of saucers.  The genius started wiggle his hips back and forth trying to dislodge the uncomfortable instrument from his penis while preventing the insertion of the dildo.

 

Undeterred, Jacob pushed the phallic object into the boy and smiled with pleasure at his victim’s discomfort, “I am going to continually run this across your prostate until you give me what I want.”

 

Letting out a strangled sob at the first prostate hit, Reid knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out long.  The chastity cage was already starting to get confining and painful.

 

“Say it!” demanded the man behind him as he pumped the devise in and out a few more times.

 

“Please…,” the boy cried out instead.

 

“Wrong!” the man said as he lodged the instrument deep inside of his slave’s hole and turned on the vibrations.

 

“Arggh…,” was the only sound emitted from the boy’s mouth until the torture device was extracted.

  

“Now will you repeat after me?” Jacob’s asked in anger.

 

“Yes,” Reid cried out.

 

“Yes what?” he was asked as the instrument was plunged in and out again.

 

“Yes, master!”

 

“Good.  Now, let’s begin again.  Repeat after me: I am yours.  I belong to you.”

 

Reid forced out the words through clenched teeth while tears leaked into his blindfold hiding proof of his mortification from the man.

 

“To use as you wish, to take when you wish, to fuck how you wish, and to do with as you wish,” Jacobs finished as he fumbled with the zipper to his pants.

 

The quivering boy stumbled through the recitation but eventually got out, “To use as you wish, to take when you wish, to fuck how you wish, and to do with as you wish.”

 

The now bottomless man stood behind his prize and smiled in triumph.  “Very good.  That wasn’t so hard was it?”

 

“N…no…master,” came the small reply.

 

“Now repeat it again,” Jacobs demanded as he pushed his own lubed up organ into the boy with a fierce thrust.

 


	13. Getting Closer

Hotch and Rossi walked into the police station and made a beeline for the interrogation room that Prentiss was currently occupying with the driver of Reid’s cab.  He had just arrived and she hadn’t gotten too far into her questioning.  So far she had established the man’s name and how long he had been driving people around for his company.

 

The men joined Morgan and JJ at the one-way mirror.  Hotch reached over to the dial and turned up the volume not wanting to miss a single word or tone conveyed by the interviewee.

 

“Alright, Mr. Singh we’ve brought you in today to help us with our investigation.  A little over four months ago you picked up this man at the airport,” she said sliding a picture of Reid over to the man for him to inspect.  “Do you remember him?”

 

The stringy haired man pulled the photo over to his side of the table and glanced at it briefly, “Yeah.  I remember him.”

 

Prentiss, surprised at the cabbie’s speed of recognition, asked, “Really?  Are you sure?  It’s been four months, why would you still remember a random rider after such a long period of time.”  Inside, Prentiss was brimming with hope that this man’s memory was legitimate, but she had to be sure he wasn’t just trying to placate her in order to leave quickly.

 

The man bristled at her question, slightly offended at her apparent disbelief.  “I remember him because he was the first passenger I’ve ever had that got arrested straight from my cab.”

 

Prentiss’s eyes went wide at the revelation, and if she could have seen her other colleagues in the next room their expressions would have been a reflection of her own.

 

“He was arrested?”

 

“Yeah, we were halfway to his hotel when we got pulled over by a patrol car,” the taxi driver explained as he leaned back in his chair.  “The cop came to me first and had me vacate the vehicle.  He told me to stay on the sidewalk while he went and arrested the kid.  He read the guy his rights while he cuffed him and put him in the back of the police car.  Then he grabbed all of the guy’s belongings and told me to send the bill to the police station in the care of Officer Edwards.”

 

“If I showed you some pictures of police officers do you think you would be able to identify the officer that arrested him?” she asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

 

“Probably...,” he answered.

 

Prentiss shuffled through the pictures in the file in front of her and pulled out the photos of a few of the Officer Edwards that they had been investigating. She managed to steady her hands so that she didn’t put any extra emphasis on Terry Edwards’ photo.

 

Just as quick as before the man glanced over the pictures and placed his finger on the one that matched his memory.  Prentiss grabbed the glossy paper from underneath his finger, turned toward the one-way mirror and held it up for her team.

 

Hotch immediately turned to Rossi and said, “We’ve got to get back to his apartment now.  JJ, get a warrant issued while we are in route and then have Garcia start investigating every aspect of Terry Edwards’ life.  Morgan, get Prentiss out of there and let that guy loose.  We’ll meet you at the high-rise.”

 

The door to the lavish apartment busted in under the forceful kick of Aaron Hotchner.  Rossi raced in around the other man and yelled out, “FBI.”

 

Silence greeted the two men as they continued through the abode.  They yelled out their presence and kept up their guard but the inhabitants were never found.  Putting their weapons into their holsters the two men started reexamining the rooms that they had cleared.

 

The apartment was immaculate and nothing seemed out of place.  Few words were spoken as each man took his time scrutinizing the tiny details of the couple’s life.  It wasn’t until they got to the bedroom that they found signs of abandonment.

 

Rossi opened the closet and pointed down to the floors, “Wheel marks.”

 

Hotch bent over and looked at the tracks left in the carpet, “It looks like luggage wheels.  Look, there are quite a few bare hangers.”

 

The older man walked over to the dresser and pulled out a few of the drawers, “These have obviously been ransacked in a hurry.  The piles are no longer pristine and there are too many empty spaces.  It looks like they packed in a hurry.”

 

Hotch grunted as he went into the master bathroom and pulled open more drawers, “The essentials are missing.  There are no hairbrushes, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other toiletries.  They didn’t just grab their vacation bags, they took their day to day items.  Call Garcia and have her put up an alert in their names.  They may be trying to skip town or possibly even the country.”

 

Rossi just nodded in agreement and flipped open his phone.  He stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of Morgan and Prentiss.  He pushed past the two profilers and went to the front room to make the call.

 

Morgan made his way over to the bathroom and asked, “Find anything useful?”

 

“Yeah, they packed up in a hurry and are either already out of town or halfway there,” the elder agent said despondently.  “Rossi is calling Garcia now to have her search their names to see if they were stupid enough to book a flight without using an alias.”

 

Morgan sighed at the news and said, “Have you looked everything over?  Any sign of Reid?”

 

“We haven’t gotten beyond this bedroom.  Why don’t you and Prentiss continue down the hall and I’ll check the bedroom next to this one.”

 

The two left wordlessly and found themselves a door that hadn’t been checked by the two older agents, “Hey Hotch!  Why didn’t you guys clear this one?”

 

“We thought it was an exit,” the man called back.

 

Pulling out their weapons, Prentiss and Morgan took the cautious stance taught to them in basic training.  Morgan kicked the door in and Prentiss cleared the stairwell.

 

“It’s not an exit.  It leads up to the next floor,” Morgan called back to his boss and Rossi who emerged from the room they were searching.

 

The two men joined their colleagues and the four of them started up the flight of stairs that could possibly lead to their missing teammate.

 

* * *

 

“…to do with as you wish,” Reid sputtered out as he felt the man tighten his grip on his hipbones as he came inside the genius.  The two of them had been in the room for over two hours and the whole time the bound agent had been forced to repeat the mantra while being assaulted.

 

Reid opened his mouth to restart his recitation but felt Jacob’s meaty hand wrap around his jaw, silencing him, “That’s enough for now.”

 

Relief flooded through the boy’s body when he realized that the assault was finished.  The hand was removed and was soon replaced by the familiar thick black cloth.  Spencer allowed his head to flop back down onto the harsh surface cooling his flaming cheek while he tried to ignore the liquid that was dripping down his legs.  He was exhausted beyond belief and just longed to be released from the table.

 

He could hear his owner puttering around the room and a bit of dread started to creep back into this system.  Was the assault really over or was Boyd just getting more objects with which to taunt him?

 

Jacob’s voice broke Reid’s thoughts moments later.  “I purchased this in conjunction with the chastity cage.”

 

Suddenly, the abused agent felt freezing metal prod at his already overused hole.  His owner inserted the devise deep inside his anatomy and wiggled it around a bit to make sure it was sitting snuggly.  Surprisingly, the man’s hand did not leave his behind but started to turn a knob on the steel plug.  Reid let out a whimper as he felt the object inside of him expand.

 

“Hush boy, it’s not that bad.  I just want to make sure you feel me inside of you all day,” the man explained deviously as he placed a small lock on the knob of the plug and secured it tightly.  “Now to get you properly dressed.”

 

The boy was unhooked from the table and stood upright.  His legs were released from their bindings and then he was led to the center of the room.  Once Jacob had positioned him, he attached a length of chain hanging down from the ceiling to Reid’s collar in order to keep him in place.

 

“I’ve invited a friend over tonight to meet you.  He was the man that tuned me into this whole slave ownership thing,” the seedy man said as he admired the tortured form in front of him.  “I have the perfect outfit for you to wear.”

 

The man retrieved a black leather belt with locking straps for the waist and thighs.  “Don’t even think about kicking me while I put this on you,” he sternly warned the boy as he lifted his charge’s leg and placed it in the loop.  After giving the other leg the same treatment he pulled the harness up the kid’s body.

 

Reid could feel the waist belt cinch tighter and tighter as the man adjusted it to his skinny abdomen.  A tiny click signaled that the man was satisfied with the fit.  A cup was placed flush against the agent’s caged penis hiding the silicone object behind it.  He then felt Boyd wrap a strap around each of his thighs that pulled tightly against the cup.  Like the waist belt, they were pulled taunt and locked into place.  The final piece of the garment was a leather strap that went from the bottom of the cup through his legs and up his back to attach to the belt in the back.  It fit firmly against his abused passage covering the plug that rested deep inside of him.

 

“Beautiful.  You look absolutely beautiful.  Now we just need to accessorize your chest and we’ll be all set,” Jacob gushed.  “I love the onyx stones on you, so I think I’ll just add more of those to accentuate your body.”

 

The genius felt a heavy weight attach to the front loop of the collar and assumed it was a large gem.  A tsking sound came from his owner and he heard the man mutter, “Those ones are too small.  I’ve got something much better.”  Jacob’s words were followed by some puffy fingers prying the nipple rings off of his chest and replacing them with some other sort of piercing.

 

Finally, he heard the man say, “This might hurt a bit,” right before a sharp needle pierced his navel causing the boy to let out a cry of pain.  Reid could feel some blood running down from his belly button and knew that he had just garnered another permanent mark on his already marred body.

 

Boyd removed his hands from the boy and admired his work.  The addition of the new jewels made his boy toy look all the more irresistible.  The sable gems gleamed and sparkled calling attention to some of the kids more desirable locations.  The newest addition of the navel jewel needed to be cleaned up and sanitized, but it rounded out the look completely.

 

Lust churned through the man’s loins as he devoured the sight of the boy.  He knew that he needed to get away from his temptation soon before he had undid all the preparations he had just put in for tonight.  So he decided to take the boy back into his room and go out for a walk to calm his urges.

 

Reid was feeling utterly despondent standing their waiting for the next humiliation to greet him.  He hadn’t thought that his kidnapping could have gotten any worse than being sold to random bidders, but he was wrong.  Now he was some sort of bondage boy toy that had been exposed to experiences that he would have never imagined, and that was all within the last 12 hours.  What would a lifetime of this treatment subject him to?

 

After a few minutes he felt his collar being unattached from the chain and Boyd was leading him back into the master bedroom.  He was placed in the same position as earlier, except that this time he was on his knees.  Again, there was no slack in the chain and he was stuck against the bed and the wall.  There he sat and waited lost in his thoughts that were turning darker and darker as the light of hope was getting farther and farther away.

 

* * *

 

The doorway to the next floor opened into a stark white hallway that was lined with doors.  The team systematically worked their way down the hall inspecting each room with disgust.  Each barrier that they opened revealed a fantasy room that was used for sexual pleasure.  Each member couldn’t help but wonder whether or not their youngest agent was subjected to the wickedness of each room.

 

The second to last door that they opened led them into an electronics lair that Garcia would have been envious to own.  It was the hub to the couple’s online auction.  The agents held their breath as they looked around and brought the monitors back to life.  There was one screen for each room that had been explored, another that must have been showing the interior of the last room, and the final one was in control of the auctions.

 

“Morgan, call Garcia and get her up here as soon as possible,” Hotch ordered not needing to say why.

 

“Let’s get into the last room,” Rossi suggested as he started out the door leaving Morgan behind to talk on the phone.

 

When they approached the last door they noticed a control panel on the wall.  None of the agents knew what it was for and hoped that they didn’t need to type in a code to open the door.  Luckily, Rossi just had to turn the knob and the barrier opened wide. 

 

The three profilers cautiously entered the room and cleared it quickly.  Once they let their guard down they were able to begin to put pieces of the puzzle together.

 

“This is where they kept him,” Hotch stated after a few minutes.

 

Rossi stood in the middle of the room and grunted his agreement.  His gaze was locked on a hole in the floor that had a shackle lying next to it.  He bent down and put on a pair of latex free gloves.  Using his protected hands he picked up the cuff and followed the chain down into the hole.  Unable to see into the dark abyss, he pulled out a flashlight and shined it down revealing a coil of chain hidden below.

 

“I’ll lay odds on them keeping him restrained with this.  It looks like they could control the length and in return control him,” the older man observed placing the shackle back on the floor.

 

Prentiss wandered over to the window and looked out at the view of the city, “At least he had something to look at.”

 

The other two didn’t dignify her attempt at finding a bright side with an answer.  Hotch wandered into the bathroom and found it lacking in everything but the basic needs toiletries.  He picked up the trash bin and eyed the contents.  Inside he found a few discarded wads of tissue and some disposable contact lens containers.

 

“They got him replacement contacts,” the dark agent called out to the others while he bagged one of the plastic holders as evidence.

 

Rossi peered into the door at this revelation and said, “The monitor that’s anchored to the wall can’t be turned on by whomever is in the room.  It must be controlled by one of the computers.”

 

“Guys, come in here,” Prentiss called.

 

The two men exited the small restroom and approached the woman that was crouched down next to the floor-length window.

 

“Look what I found,” she said as she exhaled a large breath of air onto the clear pane of glass. 

 

The men looked on in wonder as the hot moisture from her mouth revealed some words in the fog.

 

“What does it say?” Hotch asked.

 

“I don’t know yet.  I’m trying to find out where it starts,” she said as she huffed more air against the window.

  
After a few attempts she finally pieced together the saying that their favorite genius had traced over and over throughout his stay.

 

“This too shall pass,” Prentiss revealed to the other agents.

 

“It’s something his mother would always say to him when she was soothing him after he had to battle the bullies in school,” Morgan voice said out of nowhere.

 

The three agents turned to their other member and looked to him for a better explanation.

 

“Reid told me about how his mom would try to comfort him when she was lucid.  It didn’t happen often, but she would always sit him on her lap and hold him close while she chanted those words until he fell asleep.  He still repeats the saying to himself whenever he is confronted with something that overwhelms him.  Sometimes I’ve seen him mouthing it to himself on the plane ride home from some of our more difficult cases.  It brings him some peace and makes him feel closer to his mom,” Morgan explained with a pained expression on his face.

 

“So we know that the kid was here at some point in time,” Rossi said after he digested the information.

 

“Yeah, but where is he now?” Prentiss piped up, blurting out the one question that was on all of their minds.

 

They stood in silence taking in the harsh environment that their resident genius had been forced to live in for the past few months.

 

Suddenly, Hotch’s cell phone twittered in excitement and the man answered it without hesitation, “Garcia?”

 

“Are you sure?  Have them delay the plane and lock down that section of the airport.  Rossi and I are on our way.  I still need you to come up here and dig through these computers for any leads or clues as to where Reid is now.  We are going to need all your expertise to help us uncover his whereabouts, especially if they refuse to talk once we arrest them,” he said as he started to make his way out of the room.

 

“What’s going on?” Morgan called.

 

Hotch was practically out the door and didn’t stop to answer.  Instead he called out loudly, “The idiots used their credit card to book a flight to Bermuda.  We’re going to the airport to arrest them.  Stay here and help Garcia weed through the files.  Call us with any information that you find.  We’re going to need all the evidence we can get to in order to coax them into giving up Reid’s location.”

 

* * *

 

His legs had gone numb quite a while ago.  Sitting on his knees was not the most comfortable position but if he adjusted his position he would probably choke on the collar wrapped around his neck.

 

It felt like hours since Jacob had left him sitting here.  In that time he had wallowed in misery and reveled in defiance.  His mind was battling between giving up completely and keeping hope alive.  The genius was waging an inner war that was tearing his soul apart.  On one hand he knew that if he gave in to this man he would lose everything that defined him as a person.  On the other hand, if he kept up his battle to be strong his soul would eventually be stripped bare and be left exposed.  Alas, Reid knew that either route would result in him being broken eventually, it was just a matter of how long it took.

 

As if fighting for his soul wasn’t bad enough, he was also beginning to feel a pressure develop in his bladder and knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold it much longer.  Of course, he dreaded the consequences he might have to face if he couldn’t keep himself from spilling his contents.

 

The genius tried to shift his weight around to relieve the pressure on his bladder but it didn’t work.  The only thing he succeeded in doing was jarring the anal plug a bit deeper into his body.  He let out a growl of frustration and slammed his head back into the wall in anger.

 

“Come now, don’t damage that pretty little head of yours,” came Jacob’s sinister voice.

 

Reid straightened up in response to the degrading words and turned his head toward the sound waves that assaulted his ears.  How had he missed his captor’s entrance into the room?

 

A hand cupped his head while a meaty thumb brushed up and down his cheek, “I can’t wait for my friend to meet you.  He is an expert in his trade and I think he’ll appreciate all the progress we’ve made in less than a day.  Don’t worry though, I’m not going to share you with him.  Hence all the locks keeping you sealed up tightly until I’m ready to unwrap you later.  While he may be my best friend, I don’t trust him to keep his hands to himself.”

 

The hand let go of his face as a finger started to trace down his chest.  Jacob enjoyed watching the boy’s uneasiness as he fondled the onyx studs that pierced the pert pink nipples.  He tweaked them both at the same time earning himself a grunt of pain from his captive.  He then allowed his hand to wander down to the kid’s navel where he twisted and turned the jewel that was settled in the belly button, “Tonight after he leaves we’re going to have some more fun.  I can’t wait to feel your tight heat surrounding me again.  And if you behave I may even let you find some release.”

 

Reid shivered at the words that the man had meant to deliver seductively, which earned him a sharp slap across the face.

 

“I saw that!  You still don’t get it do you boy?  I own you and you are mine to do with as I please.  Mark my words, I will break you,” Boyd shouted in his face.

 

The man’s words sparked the decision that had been haunting the agent all day.  In that moment he decided to keep fighting until the last layer of his humanity had been stripped away. Inspired by his choice, the genius let out a muffled response that was garbled by the cloth.

 

Boyd ripped the gag out of the kid’s mouth and clenched the boy’s hollow jaw in his hand.  “What did you say?”

 

Battling the man’s iron grip, Reid was able to force out, “You can try.”

 

Anger at the boy’s defiance took over the man as he slammed his toy’s head back into the wall.  The force behind the blow successfully knocked the kid out cold and unleashed the contents of the boy’s bladder.


	14. Help is on the Way

He was jolted awake by the pain of ten thousand icy needles biting into his flesh.  An agonized scream erupted from his lips signaling his displeasure at the freezing cold water that was now surrounding his whole body. A hand came out of nowhere and pushed down on the crown of his head forcing him underneath the cold water.  He opened his mouth and tried to let out another cry of displeasure but only succeeded in allowing water into his system.  Worried that he was going to drown, Reid thrashed his legs about trying to push his body out of the porcelain tub. Suddenly the hand holding him down transferred to his neck and pulled him back to the surface.

 

“Enjoying your bath?” Jacob’s sinister voice said cutting through his prisoner’s misery.

 

“L…l…let…m…me…ou…out,” the frozen genius stuttered while he continued to try to remove his body from the bath.

 

His captor smacked his face the second the demand left the boy’s mouth, “You do not order me around and you will learn to speak to me properly.”

 

Kowtowing to the man’s will, Reid tried to plea for his release again, “P...p…please…master.  It’s t…to..c..cold.”

 

“I know it’s cold boy.  I’m the one who drew the bath.  I didn’t have enough time to heat it up, my friend is going to be here within the hour.  If you wouldn’t have gone and soiled yourself then you wouldn’t be in this position anyways,” Jacob scolded.  “Now, stop struggling so I can get you clean.”

 

Reid gave in to the man’s request because he knew that he wasn’t going to get out of the icy prison until Jacob was satisfied.  He could feel a washcloth being rubbed against his face and exposed chest and then he was dunked under the water again to wash away the suds.  Next the man pushed the bound agent forward and gave his back a quick rub down.  Finally, the agent was forcefully pulled upward by two hands gripping him from his underarms. 

 

“Stand still,” was the only order that was given before the man started to wash down Reid’s legs.  Strangely enough the constrictive shorts were still in place on the genius’s body and they felt tighter due to the water.  “I didn’t take off your soiled shorts because they were such a pain to put on you in the first place.  I just hope this quick wash will rid them of the horrid scent of urine you chose to douse them in.”

 

The captive agent could feel the man’s hands lingering on high thighs as he cleaned right up to the seam of the shorts.  Then the man started to fiddle around with the locks at his waist and unhooked the cup so that he could pay Reid’s captive package some attention.  After he was done with Reid’s private region he turned the boy around and scrubbed down his backside.

 

The boy’s body was submerged once more in the water before the bath came to its end.  By the time it was completely over the kid’s teeth were chattering nonstop and his body was quivering trying to restore some of the heat that the glacial water had stolen.  Reid swore he was had never felt so cold in his entire life.  To make matters worse, instead of getting his slave out of the tub the man decided to drain the water while keeping the kid safely ensconced in the porcelain.

 

 “Alright, let’s get you out of there and ready to meet my friend,” Jacob said as he supported the fragile body as it exited the tub.

 

The skinny genius’s toes gripped the tile floor as he tried to find purchase on the slippery surface.  As soon as the boy was stable, the man led him over to a fuzzy rug and had him stand on top of it.  Moments later the sound of a hair dryer invaded the room and a warm breeze started blowing against the short brown hair.  It didn’t take long for the water to evaporate from the boy’s shorn locks and the two were moving out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

 

“Ahh, Ecatarine, did you get that soiled spot cleaned up?” the man of the manor asked his housekeeper in her native tongue.

 

“It’s almost fully cleaned up, sir.  I just wanted to disinfect it one more time and then spray some freshener on it to rid it of the stringent smell,” she replied.

 

“Excellent, I wouldn’t want my visitor to be turned off by such a strong scent,” Jacob said as he led the boy to a spot in front of the fire.

 

Reid could hear the two individuals exchange words, but had no idea what was being said.  As he was being steered toward a new spot in the room he wondered how she could just stand there and witness his captivity without going to the police.  Even though she was from a foreign land, she must know that he was being held against his will.

 

The agent was pulled from his thoughts when he was forced to his knees and secured to a ring on the floor.  His cold limbs could immediately feel the warmth of the burning wood behind him emanating from the fireplace.  He could hear the maid shuffling around cleaning the spot that he had once occupied by the bed.  Jacob must have walked away too because he could hear another set of footsteps off to his right and then the opening and closing of a door.

 

A few minutes later Reid could feel the presence of his owner next to him again before another cloth gag was tied around his head.  After that a Velcro cuff attached to a spreader bar was wrapped around his right ankle.  The man push the boy’s legs apart and secured the left ankle to the other cuff as well.

 

“You look perfect!” Jacob gushed as he leaned down and planted a kiss on the lips that were parted by the black cloth.

 

The doorbell rang, interrupting the man from bestowing anymore signs of affection on his property.

 

“Ahh, that must be Duncan.  Stay here my lovely.  I’ll be right back,” Boyd ordered needlessly before turning and saying something to the maid that was still cleaning.

 

Once Reid heard the master bedroom door close he started trying to get the maid’s attention.  He knew she was still in the room based upon the sounds of her gathering her materials.  He knew that while his words may be muffled and incomprehensible she may still understand the urgency behind him. 

 

So he was utterly surprised when the small patter of her feet came closer and a voice quickly whispered in her ear, “Shh, I’m an undercover officer working out of the Chicago Sex Crimes Office.  I would have reported this when he brought you home but I wasn’t sure if you were a paid hooker.  Hold on for a bit longer, I’m going to go call this in and we’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.”

 

Reid wanted to plead with her to release him now, but he knew that she wouldn’t be able to take down Jacob and his friend by herself.  He felt a bit of hope soar in his heart as he heard her make her way out of the room.  Unfortunately, the second the door clicked shut the darkness started to weasel its way back into his mind as he thought about what he might have to endure before he was actually rescued.

 

* * *

 

The arrest of Officer Edwards and his girlfriend Kaylee went much easier than everyone anticipated.  Once airport security had been alerted to the fleeing couple their flight was put on lockdown.  Of course, the passengers just assumed that it was a normal delay due to weather, but it had all been a ruse to keep the two in the dark while the agents arrived on scene.

 

Agent Hotchner and Rossi met with the security staff and the local police to plan out the takedown before quickly making their way to the appropriate gate.  It was decided that the two FBI agents would take the lead due to the fact that if Edwards saw his fellow officers beginning to swarm the gate the arrest could go south.

 

Luckily, the couple did not see the agents approach them and they were taken by surprise when a stern voice said, “Going somewhere?”

 

Edwards jumped out of his seat at the sound of the familiar voice.  He turned slowly to take in the harsh face and said, “Yeah, a last minute vacation.  Why are you two here?”

 

“Oh…I think you know what brought us here,” Rossi said in his wily voice.

 

A self-satisfied smirk emerged on the man’s face, “I assure you I don’t.”

 

“Well, in that case...Officer Edwards, you are being arrested in the kidnapping and illegal trafficking of a federal agent.  You have the right to remain silent…,” Agent Hotchner said as he roughly cuffed the slimy officer a little too tightly.

 

While Hotch was doing that Rossi made short work of Kaylee and roughly steered her out of the airport.  They needed to get these two down to the station as soon as possible in order to figure out what happened to Reid.

 

* * *

 

Morgan was waiting back at the station for them after helping Garcia bring the computer hard drives back to the station.

 

“I thought I told you two to stay at the apartment?” Hotch asked the dark male gruffly.

 

“Come on Hotch.  You know I wasn’t just going to stand around and let you and Rossi have all the fun.  Let me in there with him,” Derek demanded looking at the cuffed officer sitting in the interrogation room.

 

Hotch hesitated to answer because he didn’t want Derek Morgan’s dark side to emerge during questioning and ruin any chance they had of getting information out of Reid’s captors, “I’m going first with Edwards.  Prentiss is going to go in and question Kaylee.  Stay here and observe.”

 

Unhappy with the order, Morgan started pacing the room.  He knew his boss’s reasons behind keeping him out of the room containing the one man he wanted to hurt more than anything.  But the dark man was a seasoned agent and he knew he could hold his temper when it counted the most.  That is…he knew he could hold his temper in if the man didn’t mention anything in regards to harming Reid.

 

His internal fuming was interrupted when his superior opened the door to the conjoined room and sat down in front of the man behind his best friend’s kidnapping.

 

“Hello, agent,” Edwards taunted the second the severe agent entered the room.

 

Hotch’s face remained stoic as he pulled out a chair and sat across from the former cop, “Mr. Edwards, you have been brought in based upon insurmountable evidence that you kidnapped and held Dr. Spencer Reid against his will.  What I want to know from you now is where you ditched him before you decided to take off on a permanent vacation.”

 

“You really think I’m going to respond to that?  I’m an officer of the law and I know how questioning works.  This isn’t like T.V. where I’m going to spill my guts because I think that you all will go easy on me.  Anyways, I have no idea what you’re talking about to being with,” Edwards parlayed.

 

Hotch threw out photos of the various rooms that were used to entertain guests and topped them off with a snapshot of Reid’s former prison.

 

“Would you care to explain what these rooms were used for?”

 

“Not particularly…is it a crime to own themed rooms to enjoy with your woman?” Edwards asked.

 

“Cut the crap!  We know that this is the room that you held Spencer Reid captive in and there is evidence to support that,” Hotch rebutted as he showed the man photos of Reid’s discarded contact lens cases and the words he traced on the window.  “His fingerprints are all over the room and some of his hair follicles were found in the shower drain.  Additionally, we found his belongings in one of the rooms down on the main level of your apartment.  Now, is that enough evidence for you?”

 

The smirk reappeared on the man’s face, “Alright, you got me agent.  But I’m not telling you anything.  I don’t give a shit what happens to your fellow agent.  We used him and disposed of him.  Kaylee isn’t going to tell you anything either.  We were both prepared for this and we decided that in the end it’s much more fun to watch you all suffer than to give you what you want.  All I will say is that you are never going to find the boy.”

 

The door to the room flew open the second Edwards’s speech was done, and an eager Derek Morgan was illuminated in the doorframe, “Hotch!  Leave that piece of shit and get out here.  We have a lead.”

 

The other agent immediately gathered the pictures that he had strewn down on the table and said, “Too bad you didn’t make a deal.”

 

Edwards was left sitting under the harsh neon lights of the stuffy room.  He stared at the door and wondered what the hell could have tipped the cops off to the kid’s whereabouts.

 

* * *

 

Hotch closed the door and made his way over to his team.  They were all strapping on vests and getting ready to charge off into the night, “What happened?”

 

The local precinct chief announced, “One of our undercover officers called in and confirmed your agent’s presence at the home of Jacob Boyd.  We’ve been watching him for a while due to his close friendship with a suspected human trafficker, Duncan Moore.  She said that they brought your man in early this morning but she wasn’t sure it was him until a few minutes ago.”

 

Relief flooded through the unit chief as he too grabbed a vest and started to strap it one in preparation, “How far away is the destination?”

 

“It’s a good hour out of the city in one of the more affluent areas.  Do you want the locals to wait or initiate the raid?”

 

Hotch looked at his group of agents and saw the looks on their face.  There was no question that the team wanted to be there for Reid’s rescue, “Tell them to wait for us to arrive.”

 

The officer nodded as he turned away to make the call.

 

“Alright, Garcia stay here and keep looking through those computers.  Build up as much evidence as you can against Edwards and Kaylee.  Also delve into Jacob Boyd’s background, bank accounts, and movements.  We need to have as much information as possible on him too,” Hotch ordered as he made his way out to the standard black SUVs with the rest of the anxious team.

 

* * *

 

Reid perked his head up from where it rested against his chest when he heard the door to the bedroom creak open.

 

“…and there he is.  Gorgeous isn’t he?” the genius heard Jacob say to the other man.

 

The hair on the genius’s arms prickled as he felt the gazes of the two men gloss over his vulnerable body.  He twisted his bound hands once again, attempting to wiggle them out of the leather straps that were buckled tightly around them.  He knew his efforts were futile but his mind kept telling him he had to try.

 

“He is a fine specimen.  A little old for my liking though,” a deep voice boomed while its owner circled the slave.

 

“I know.  His age is a bit advanced compared to others in the trade, but after I had him once I couldn’t resist the thought of owning him,” Jacob gushed as he cupped the boy’s cheek and turned his head back and forth to give Duncan a view of the angular jaw.

 

“Well, it looks like you’ve been doing a nice job of breaking him in so far.  Quality outfit, and you are denying him some of his senses.  As I’ve written in my training manual, you’ve gotta deprive your slave of his basic rights in order to break them quickly.  But…,” the man trailed off.

 

“But what?”

 

“I do question some of your choices,” Duncan explained.

 

“Like what?” Jacob asked in disbelief.  He had really thought he had done everything right so far.

 

“Well, I don’t like marring my slave’s face with such crude instruments,” the deep voice said, plucking at the blindfold that had been in place since this morning.

 

“What would you use instead?  He hasn’t earned the right to sight yet.”

 

Reid could hear the man walking away and rifling through something.

 

Duncan held up a small tube and said, “This will do the trick.”

 

“Superglue?”

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact.  It will allow you to maintain control over his sight while allowing you to take in those breathtaking features.  You could even use it on his mouth and that way his whole visage will be yours to enjoy,” Duncan elucidated triumphantly.

 

“I never thought of that…,” Jacob said, reaching for the adhesive.  “Can you help me apply it?”

 

“Of course!” the man responded joyfully.

 

Reid, having heard everything, started to pull against the leash that was securing him to the ground.  The thought of having being in permanent darkness scared the shit out of him and he was desperate to get away.  He even let out muffled noises of protest when two meaty hands planted themselves on each side of his head.

 

“Stop your fighting boy.  You’re only earning yourself a punishment for your disobedience.  Now I’m going to remove the blindfold and you are going to keep your eyes closed.  I promise you won’t like the consequences if you don’t,” Jacobs stated.

 

The agent didn’t care about the threat and there was no way he was going to make this easy for his captor. So the second that the cloth fell away from he picked up his fight against the firm hands and opened his eyes up wide.  The light pierced his skull, having been denied it for over 14 hours, but he refused to let his lids close.  Tears of fear and pain welled in the glassy brown orbs as they struggled to win the fruitless fight.

 

“He sure is obstinate,” Duncan commented before he reared his hand back and smacked the boy viciously across the cheek.  “You will do as your master says!”

 

The sudden pain radiating across his face caused the genius to lose some of his fight and the men were able to regain the upper hand.  The trafficker adjusted his grip on the boy’s head by putting one hand under the sharp chin while the other palmed the crown of his head.  He then tilted the suffering beauty’s head back further until the agent thought it would break.

 

Reid’s hypnotizing brown orbs were staring at the ceiling when the tip of the tube came into view.  A stifled “No” escaped the thick cloth as a fatty finger came down and forced his right eyelid closed.  A cool splash of liquid was spread over his sensitive skin and quickly adhered the two flaps together.  The man held his hand there and blew on the glue until he was satisfied that it dried.  Jacob then wasted no time in giving the left eyelid the same treatment.

 

Trembling, Reid couldn’t stop meek sobs from escaping his throat.  He knew that the glue wasn’t in any way permanent but for now it felt so final.  His sight had been taken away and now the only vision he had was with his mind’s eye.  Even his tears were locked inside, unable to escape their sealed tomb.

 

“Now the mouth?” Duncan asked.

 

“No.  I like it the way it is…because at least this way I can still taste him when we kiss,” Jacob said assertively.

 

Duncan released his grip on the boy and held up his hands, “Good!  You are taking charge of what is yours.  I like that.  So what is his punishment for the overt defiance?”

 

“Hmmm…I don’t know.  What do you suggest?”

 

“Have you utilized the cage yet?”

 

“Yeah, he’s wearing it right now,” Jacob said, gesturing at the boy’s package.

 

“Ah, then I have the perfect solution…,” again the tormented genius could hear the man rummaging through a bag.  “These!”

 

“What are those?”

 

“ED pills…or in layman’s terms, Viagra.”


	15. Breaking

“ED pills…or in layman’s terms, Viagra.”

 

Jacob smiled wide, knowing that his captive would be in a world of pain once the pills took effect, immediately snatched the medicine out of his friend’s hand and unwrapped them.

 

Reid tried to scoot his body away from where he thought the men were but found it difficult due to the spreader bar encumbering his feet.  He knew exactly what torture Duncan had in store for him and he was not anticipating the effects of the little blue pill.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Duncan’s voice asked piercing Reid’s thoughts.

 

A hand grabbed the back of his neck and held him steady.

 

 “The man asked you a question,” came Jacob’s voice.

 

“N-no where,” he answered nervously.

 

“If I didn’t know any better I would have said you were trying to avoid your punishment,” Duncan taunted as he squeezed the bony neck tightly.

 

The agent didn’t respond to the man’s goading words but tried to jerk his head out of his grip instead.

 

Duncan turned to Jacob and said, “You sure did pick a feisty one, didn’t you?  But that’s okay, it makes them more fun to break.”

 

“I’m sure enjoying it so far,” Jacob said as he advanced upon the struggling slave.

 

Reid could hear the man approach him from the front and clenched his jaw shut.  The hand on his neck changed positions and pushed down on his forehead, forcing him to tilt his head backwards.  A second hand then clutched both sides of his jaw and squeezed the bone’s hinge while pushing it down, successfully opening it.  The boy’s struggled to close his opened mouth but due to his weakened state he only succeeded in shutting it a little.

 

He felt two small pills plop down on his tongue and he tried to spit them out.  In response, the hand on his forehead moved down to his nose and squished it closed.  A bottle of water was then held up to his mouth and some of the liquid splashed inside.  The commanding hand then forced his jaw shut and ordered, “Swallow.”

 

The agent tried to resist swallowing but due to the lack of air and the forcefulness of the hands he had no other choice.  The pills and the water went cascading down his esophagus and into his gullet.

 

“Good boy,” Duncan sneered, letting go of the slave’s head.

 

“Now what?” Jacob asked his mentor.

 

“Let’s take him into the other room and truss him while we wait for the meds to kick in,” Duncan suggested.

 

“How long does usually take for it to start working?”

 

“Um...about thirty to sixty minutes, but you gave him two so it should happen much faster,” Duncan said.

 

“Excellent, I hate waiting,” Jacob said as he jerked Reid up from his kneeling position and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of flour.  “Will you open the door for me?”

 

Duncan ran ahead into the closet and opened the hidden doorway.  Jacob had to turn sideways to fit through the door with his bundle slung over his shoulder.  The genius knew that it was going to be a tight squeeze so he flung his spread out feet sideways and tried to stop their journey into the room.

 

It took Jacob a second to figure out what was thwarting their entry.  When he did realize what the obstruction was he yanked on the boy’s body extremely hard and smashed his ankles into the door jam.

 

Reid let out a cry of pain but didn’t turn his legs.  Jacob, undeterred by the slave’s stubbornness, continued to pull relentlessly on the scrawny frame until the pressure on the boy’s ankles became too much.  A cracking sound followed by a long wail was heard throughout the room, signaling that at least one ankle must have fractured.  The pain radiating through the abused limbs was finally enough to encourage the boy to give up his fight, and Jacob was able to carry him the rest of the way into the room.

 

The genius was dumped on the ground and kicked until he was positioned on his stomach.  He felt someone finagling with the bindings around his wrists and heard the clinking of chains.  Out of nowhere he felt his arms start to raise up into the air.  Reid realized that they must have attached him to some sort of pulley mechanism that they were retracting in order to lift him up.

 

Spencer grunted as he tried to manipulate his body to allow his arms to raise up without pulling them out of their sockets.  It was a near impossible task due to the fact that he had no control over most of his body.  The strain on his shoulder joints was starting to take a toll and right before dislocation occurred two hands gripped him under his arm pits and hoisted him to his knees.

 

“Elevate his arms a little higher Jacob,” Duncan’s voice called out.

 

The other man did as instructed and as a result Reid’s body was forced to bend over at the waist while his wrists were elevated in their air behind him.  The genius knew that this was a classic stress position that was utilized to torture prisoners.  The positioning of his arms this way would put a vast amount of strain on the joints and muscles in his upper arms while his legs would be in agony.

 

“Shouldn’t we make him stand?” Jacob wondered.

 

“Sure, why not,” Duncan said as he started lifting Reid up off the floor.

 

“P-please no…my ankle,” whimpered the injured agent.

 

“Well, that will teach you to be so stubborn,” Duncan taunted as he gestured to Jacob to retract the chain some more to force the now standing agent to bend in half again.

 

“That’s good enough,” Duncan called out to Jacob.

 

The other man secured the chain to the wall to ensure it wouldn’t loosen and walked over to his friend and the prone slave.

 

“I like this!  He’s in the perfect position to take him from either end,” Jacob gushed at the sight of Reid’s tight ass sticking out into the air.

 

“Yeah, we could even double-team him…that is if you’re into that type of thing,” Duncan commented as he pulled Reid’s head up from its downward position.

 

“Hm…I’m not sure about that one,” Jacob answered slowly while he grabbed the boy’s leather clad buttocks.

 

 “Stop it,” snarled Reid, sick of being objectified by the two men that were demeaning him.

 

“I think it’s time we silence him.  I’m getting sick of hearing his mouth,” Jacob said as he smacked the boy’s behind causing the bound slave to lose his balance and fall forward.

 

Reid let out a cry of agony as his bound wrists were the only thing keeping him erect.  The strain on his shoulders was excruciating and he swore at least one, if not both, of his arms popped out of its joint.

 

“P-p-please help me!” the boy cried as he tried to alleviate the strain put on his fragile arms.

 

Duncan laughed at the boy’s misery but finally pushed him back into his original position, “Gag him and let’s get out of here.  We’ve got enough time to enjoy a drink before the medicine kicks in.”

 

Jacob came around to the front of the boy and wrapped the same black cloth into his mouth and tied the knot securely.  “I’ve got a lovely 1957 Cabernet that we can pop open and savor out on the balcony.”

 

“Sound’s delightful,” Duncan said as the two men walked out of the room, leaving the vulnerable genius alone in his dark tomb.

 

* * *

 

Derek was driving the first SUV in the rescue caravan.  He had pushed the vehicle to its top speed throughout the whole journey and the team was still at least ten minutes away from their destination.

 

“How are we going to do this Hotch?” Derek asked his unit chief that was stationed next to him in the car.

 

“We’re going to convene outside of the gates of the house with the other officers.  From there we are going to override the controls on the fence and let ourselves in quietly.   The undercover officer is going to meet us out front and guide us through the house.  I want you with me and the SWAT team as we go through the front doors.  We’ll have the other’s go around back and secure the rooms there,” Hotch explained as the vehicle pulled onto the off ramp of the highway.

 

“Does she know exactly where he is being held?” Derek asked because he hadn’t been present for the whole conversation between Hotch and the police chief.

 

“She claims to know exactly where he is.  Which is a good thing since I anticipate this house is going to be pretty big based on the income level of the neighborhood.”

 

“Good, because I’ll be damned if that man has enough time to hurt or escape with Reid somehow while we wander aimlessly throughout his mansion,” Morgan muttered as he turned the wheel abruptly to avoid a car that hadn’t gotten out of the way of their SUV.

 

Hotch grunted his agreement and dialed Rossi’s phone number to fill him in on the basic plan for when they arrive.

 

* * *

 

Jacob and Duncan sat out on the balcony sipping their wine while Reid struggled to stay upright on his faulty ankle.  The two hadn’t been gone that long but the agent was already feeling the fire of strain on his muscles.  He desperately wanted to sit down but from the way the two men were talking that wasn’t going to happen for a long time.

 

This whole thing was getting to be too much for the agent to handle.  He had tried to stay strong and defiant but slowly he could feel his glass façade cracking.  There was only so much someone could take before they gave in, and Reid knew that he was dangerously close to that limit.  He was breaking down.

 

His body was physically deteriorating with his mental facilities following close behind.  He hoped that Ecatarine was telling him the truth about getting him out of there because if someone didn’t show up to save him soon there wouldn’t be anything left to rescue.  He knew that he couldn’t put up with the misery that the four months of abuse and shame had imprinted on his brain anymore.  He didn’t want to sear anymore degrading memories into his mind.  The ones he had already were going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

 

Maybe it would be better if no one ever found him.  He felt his face flush at the thought of the team running into the room right now and seeing him strung up like a used sex toy.  Was this an image he wanted his surrogate family to have engraved in their minds?  On top of that, he certainly didn’t want them to find out the details of his captivity.  He would never be able to look them in the eye ever again.  Perhaps it would be better if he rode this out until he could find a way to just end it.  Eventually Jacob would let his guard down and then Reid could remove himself from this world that seemed so intent on punishing him relentlessly.

 

His mind was snatched out of its dark thoughts when he felt the medicine that he had been force-fed begin to work.  His thoughts suddenly turned from humiliation to mortification when he felt a stirring in his groin.  A throbbing sensation began to take over and he could feel his blood rushing down to the appendage in question.

 

It didn’t take too long for him to start letting out moans of pain as his pulsating manhood tried to break free from the constricting cage that encompassed it tightly in its silicon grasp.  How was he supposed to endure this type of sensation for the next few hours?  As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to need some sort of release to alleviate the swelling appendage.

 

Reid let out another loud groan of pain as a particularly agonizing pulsation pushed through his groin.  His tormentors must have heard his muffled moans for seconds later they entered the room once again.

 

“Enjoying yourself?” came Duncan’s arrogant voice.

 

Unable to respond, Reid just wiggled his hips in discomfort and let out a pathetic whimper of pain.

 

“Should we help him out?” Jacob asked, helping to ridicule the helpless boy.

 

“I don’t know…what do we get in return?  Hmm boy?  What are you willing to do in order to find some relief?” the mentor asked as he jerked Reid’s head up once again.

 

The agent remained silent and tried to break the grasp on his head.  He knew that no good was going to come of this situation.  And while he was close to breaking, his obstinate mind wouldn’t allow him to play their cruel game.

 

“It looks like he still thinks he is in control of his body.  Let’s show him that he’s not,” Jacob said taking the dominant role for the first time.

 

“Excellent, what do you want me to do?” the other man asked.

 

“Go pick out any flogger that you like and dole out as many lashes as you deem fit.  I, on the other hand, am going to take advantage of this lovely mouth once again.  Did I tell you how soft and silky his lips are?  Especially when they’re wrapped around my cock,” Jacob said with a callous laugh.

 

“No, you didn’t mention it.  I sure hope you reconsider letting me sample the wares though.  I would love to see what he feels like for myself,” Duncan said as he picked out a devise that had nine leather tails each ending with a metal stud.

 

Jacob had already removed the black wad of cloth out of Reid’s mouth when Duncan got back to the tethered slave.  The man then unzipped his cotton pants and allowed them to drop down to the floor.  If the genius’s eyes hadn’t been glued shut they would have been greeted with the unkempt groin of his captor.  As it was, he didn’t need his sight to know what was there because a musky scent invaded his nostrils almost immediately.

 

He then felt a familiar hand grip his chin and force his face up from its resting position.

 

“Open wide boy,” ordered his owner.  When he saw that his orders weren’t going to be followed he nodded to his counterpart standing on the other side of the bound body.  Duncan then raised his weapon high in the air and brought it down with a resounded smack against the leather clad buttocks.

 

Reid gasped in reaction to the forceful hit.  He felt the metal studs dig into the exposed skin of his back and thighs as some of the nine tails didn’t hit their intended target.

 

Taking advantage of the parted lips, Jacob inserted himself into the boy’s perfect mouth.

 

* * *

 

The SUVs pulled up outside of the mansion moments after the two men on the balcony had retreated back inside.

 

The second the vehicles stopped Hotch hopped out of his seat and met an officer at the gates control box.

 

“Can you get it to open without alerting anyone inside?” he asked.

 

“Yeah…yeah, I think I can,” a young officer replied as he analyzed the keypad.

 

“You think or you can? We can’t afford to tip Boyd off to our presence.  So, I’ll ask you again.  Can you open it without setting off an alarm?” Hotch asked sternly.

 

“Yes sir.  I know I can do it,” the kid answered with only slightly more confidence.

 

“Then do it,” Hotch ordered as he got back into the SUV.

 

Everyone in the surrounding cars watched with bated breath as the officer in question inputted a sequence of numbers.  Nothing happened for a few seconds and they were about to give up on the boy’s skills when the large wrought iron gate churned open.

 

Morgan wasted no time driving through the narrow opening.  He drove halfway up to the house before parking and cutting the power.  They didn’t want to get too close and forewarn Jacob of their arrival due to the sounds of their engines.

 

As soon as everyone was within the gates they all poured out of their cars and went to their predetermined positions.  Hotch and Morgan took the lead up front and were supported by officers in tactical gear.  With their guns ready and their bodies tensed up Morgan made his way forward to try to open the door.  But before he got the chance to twist the brass knob it opened of its own accord, revealing a petite woman in a maid’s uniform.

 

“Shh…they’re upstairs now as we speak.  His friend Duncan Moore came over a while ago and they haven’t left the room.  Now follow me, I’ll show you the way,” she said quietly and waved her hand for them to follow.

 

Hotch spoke into the communicator and alerted the others that they were already inside and to be on alert for anyone trying to escape out the back.

 

As silently as possible the invading group made their way up the extravagant stairs and down a dim hallway.  Unfortunately, due to protocol they had to check behind each of the closed doors in order to make sure there were no threats.  It took up time that they couldn’t afford to waste, but it had to be done.

 

Ecatarine halted outside of a door at the end of the hall and silently gestured as she held her ear to the door, “This is the master bedroom.  They’re in here.”

 

Morgan signaled for her to get back as he too listened through the wood for signs of life.  He looked at Hotch and shook his head.  It didn’t sound like anyone was inside of the room.

 

The team got into a prepared stance as the dark agent reached for the knob and turned the door handle.  It opened effortlessly and Morgan sprang through it checking the room with his gun.

 

The room was empty.

 

Everyone poured into the space and inspected the room.  Hotch soon found two empty wine glasses sitting out on a counter and said, “They haven’t been gone long.”

 

Ecatarine came up to the two agents and said, “I know they haven’t left this room.  The only way off this floor is by the front foyer stairs and no one has come down them.”

 

“Well then, where are they?” Morgan asked a little too loud.

 

“I have always suspected that there might be an adjoining room along that wall.  If you pay attention to the floor plan there should be another doorway in the hall to compensate for the amount of space between doors,” she said.

 

Hotch turned to the rest of the officers and commanded, “Look for a hidden door.”

 

Everyone set to work inspecting the wall for any hidden niche that could trigger a secret doorway.  Morgan left them there and decided to examine the closet.  Hotch joined him and the two scoured the walls for any sign of a trigger.

 

A muffled sound interrupted their search and caused both agents to freeze.  Hotch leaned out of the closet and signaled to everyone to keep quiet.  Standing in the center of the tiny room the two men held their breath silently wishing to hear that sound again.

 

Their prayers paid off and seconds later a smacking sound permeated the wall.  Quickly, the two men combed over the wall until they found the hidden handle that opened a doorway into the next room.  Wordlessly they got into position and brought their guns up at ready.

 

Morgan released the handle and kicked in the door shouting out a loud, “FBI! Don’t move!”

 

The sight that greeted the two men would forever be etched in their brain.  Before them was their long lost colleague being horrifically abused by two men with shit-eating grins on their faces.


	16. Rescued

The salty taste in Reid’s mouth was overwhelming and all encompassing.  He desperately wanted to take his jaw and clamp it down on the obstruction that had been forced upon him, but he feared the consequence.  Instead he endured the humiliation and tried to block out the taste of the other man.  Unfortunately, the tang left on his tongue coupled with the musty scent invading his nostrils had his stomach threatening to revolt.  It took all his mental reserve to keep the bile housed in his stomach and not bring it up all over his captor.

 

His concentration was broken when he heard another snap of leather and felt the biting sting of the flogger on his backside.  The captive was sure that his back and thighs must look like raw meat due to the amount of times they had been hit with the metal studs.  He could feel the blood from each of the impact sights trailing down his body and knew that he wouldn’t be sitting comfortably for quite some time.

 

After a particularly violent thrust he began to hope that the man invading his mouth would finish soon, but then he was worried about what activity they might move on to next.  His worries were dissolved though seconds later when the familiar words, “FBI! Don’t move!” rang out in the cavernous room.

 

Mortification enveloped him when he recognized the voice that called out.  How did Ecatarine know to contact the FBI?  How did his team get there so fast?  Why did his coworkers have to find him like this?  For the first time ever, he was glad that his eyes were glued shut.  For he wouldn’t have to see the looks on his teammates faces when they saw him in such a compromising position.

 

Reid felt Jacob’s body stiffen momentarily after Morgan had shouted out his prerequisite words.  The genius was hoping that the other man would pull out of his mouth, but was disappointed when he heard a scoffing sound followed by another strong thrust.

 

“I said don’t move!” shouted Morgan at the man that was currently assaulting his best friend.

 

“Jacob Boyd and Duncan Moore you are under arrest for sex trafficking, sexual assault and kidnapping of a federal agent,” Hotch’s voice rang out.

 

“A federal agent?  Who?  Surely not this filthy whore?” Jacob taunted as he continued to push in and out of his slave’s mouth.

 

“Stop what you’re doing and let Agent Reid go,” Aaron instructed with a stern face.

 

“Did you hear that Jacob?  This whole time you’ve had the pleasure of teaching an FBI agent his place in the world?” Duncan said to his friend with a sneer as he raised the flogger once again.  At this point both men knew that they were screwed and had wordlessly agreed to make this arrest as unpleasant as possible.

 

“Drop the weapon,” Morgan yelled trying to decide who to steady his aim on, the man who was sexually assaulting his friend or the man with the weapon.

 

Morgan’s gun settled on Duncan while Hotch trained his sights on Jacob.  Both agents were having a difficult time deciding how to act upon this unique situation.  The two men longed to pull the trigger as a quick and vengeful way of taking care of their friend’s captors, but their job demanded that they try to avoid shooting bullets if at all possible.

 

“I’m only going to say it once more…stop what you’re doing and move away from Agent Reid,” Aaron ordered in his most authoritative voice.

 

“Ahh, just give me a second…I’m almost done here,” Jacob retorted as he grabbed the shorn brown locks on Reid’s head and pushed his captive down deeper onto his member.  He started shuddering as he climaxed right in front of the two FBI agents and let out dramatic moans to taunt the men that were watching.

 

Reid, cringing in embarrassment and shame, wished he could disappear into the floor.  He started gagging on the liquid that was splashing down his throat.  To make matters worse, he could feel some of it dribbling down his chin as he forced what he could out.  Suddenly a shot rang out and the vicelike hold on his hair disappeared.  His worn out body was not expecting to take over supporting itself and the bound genius’s body fell forward once again.  He let out a yelp of pain the second his shoulders yanked backwards taking the brunt of his weight and subsequently popping at least one of them out of joint.  

 

While Reid was dealing with staying upright his captor, Jacob, landed with a thud on the floor and writhed in pain as blood blossomed from a gunshot wound on his shoulder.  “You fucking shot me!” he cried out in disbelief.

 

“Deal with it you son of a bitch,” Morgan responded brusquely while he ran over to the injured man and cuffed him.

 

The second the man was secured the dark agent turned to see Hotch approaching Duncan as he continued to urge the man to put the flogger down.  Duncan smirked as the domineering agent crept closer hauled back his hand once more and prepared to bring down the leather instrument.  Before he could even bring his arm down he was tackled to the ground by the older agent.  The agent in charge delivered a few swift punches to the other man’s face before flipping him over and tightly securing his hands behind his back.

 

Morgan took pleasure in seeing his superior let out some of his aggression on Duncan’s face as he turned to aid his best friend. 

 

The younger agent was breathing heavily as he tried to endure the pain that was radiating through his dislocated shoulder.  His wrists were on fire from the strain of having to support his whole body while his ankle protested as his feet fought to find purchase.

 

“Reid…Reid!  I’m here.  I’m going to help you stand up man,” Morgan coaxed the willowy boy as he gently walked around his body and grabbed him by the waist.

 

“No!  Let go of me,” Reid, who was too caught up in the pain to realize it was his friend touching him, shouted.  The wiry body squirmed in his friend’s strong arms trying to dislodge his strong grip.

 

“Reid.  Reid!  Calm down.  I’m not going to hurt you man,” Morgan said in a calm and soothing voice.  “It’s me, man.  It’s Morgan.  You’re safe now.  Hotch and I are here.  Now plant your feet on the floor and I’ll help you balance.  Hotch is going to work on your arms.”

 

Reid, finally realizing that he wasn’t in any danger, listened to Morgan and focused on placing his feet firmly on the floor.  Once his stance was stable Hotch let out the chains that were keeping his arms pulled up at a severe angle.  Neither agent was able to ignore the whimpers that escaped Spencer’s lips as his sore limbs were being returned to their rightful position. 

 

“Medics are on their way Reid.  Just hold on,” Morgan said trying to comfort his wounded friend.

 

“Okay Reid, now I’m going to work on your feet,” Hotch explained as he knelt down and removed the spreader bar from between the boy’s ankles.  The stern agent noticed that the one on the left was swollen and bruised, undoubtedly causing the boy loads of pain.

 

After both feet were released from their prison Reid tried to adjust his stance.  Unfortunatley, he mistakenly put too much weight on his injured ankle.  The added pressure sent a wave of pain crashing through his nervous system causing his knees to buckle.  Morgan was unprepared for the collapse of his friend and he lost his hold on the boy’s shoulders.  Reid, whose hands were still bound behind his back, was unable to break his fall and landed in a heap on the floor.

 

“Hotch, get his hands,” Morgan directed as he tried to help Reid sit up.  The genius could feel his body being sat up on his posterior which pushed the plug further into his cavity.  He felt his body tighten up in response to the intrusion and he let out a grunt of displeasure. 

 

“Reid…pretty boy, open your eyes.  I want to see those big brown eyes, kid,” Morgan implored desperately.  The dark agent was getting more and more worried at the fact that his best friend seemed unresponsive to what was going on around him.

 

Reid ignored Morgan’s pleas and chose not to respond.  He just couldn’t bring himself to talk to his teammates.  This whole experience was too demeaning to share with his coworkers.  He hoped if he just stayed silent until the EMTs took him away than he could avoid some awkward conversations. 

 

At this time members of the local law enforcement had made their way into the room and were about to escort the two captors out the door.  Morgan and Hotch were not paying any attention to the two men when Jacob’s voice rang out, “He cant.”

 

Hotch, who had just finished releasing Reid’s bound hands, asked, “He can’t what?”

 

“He can’t open his eyes,” the man said with a snide smirk.

 

Hotch’s brow crinkled in understanding and Morgan quickly stood up on his feet, “What do you mean?  Why can’t he open his eyes?”

 

“We glued them shut.  He hadn’t earned the right to sight yet,” Jacob explained with a laughing tilt to his voice.

 

“You son of a bitch!” Morgan growled as he stomped over to the restrained man.

 

“Morgan! Don’t!” Hotch called out too late.  The hot tempered agent had already closed the gap in between himself and Reid’s former captor.  Without a second thought the muscular man pulled back his fist and thrust it into the other man’s face.  A satisfying crunch sounded throughout the room as Jacob’s nose audibly broke and started gushing out blood.  The man was thrown off balance by the powerful hit and fell to the floor.  Morgan bent down and grabbed the shoulder with the gunshot wound and squeezed it tight, “Here let me help you up.”

 

The wealthy man cried out in pain at the pressure Morgan was putting on his tender lesion.  “You just got yourself fired, agent.  I’m going to make sure you’re charged with police brutality,” Jacob coughed out while spitting blood out of his mouth as he struggled to stand up.

 

“Like hell you will.  You fell down while resisting arrest and crushed your nose.  Didn’t he?” Morgan asked the other officials in the room.  A silent nod of agreement came from the others while Morgan returned the same smirk that Jacob gave him earlier.  Without another word the local officers ushered the two men out of the room leaving the agents with their rescued teammate.

 

Now that his aggression had been doled out the dark agent went back to his friend and crouched down, “Reid, I know you’re in the dark but we are going to make sure you see the light again soon.  Pretty boy, just talk to us.  Let us know you’re okay.”  Momentarily forgetting the horror that his friend had been through, Morgan reached his hand up to Reid’s face and brushed his thumb over the purple shaded eyelids.  The younger agent flinched at the unexpected caress and jerked his head to the side, dislodging his friend’s tender touch.

 

Reid could hear the concern radiating in Morgan’s voice and decided that he had to say something to put his friend’s mind at ease.  “I’m alright,” was what he whispered so low that the two profilers weren’t even sure he had spoken.

 

Consternation covered Morgan’s face as he said, “The EMTs should be here in a second.  Where do you hurt the most?”  He knew that his friend was far from alright, but decide that this was not the moment to pry information out of the genius.

 

The genius just shook his head to signal that he wasn’t in the mood to talk and wrapped his finally freed hands around his naked abdomen.  The fact that he was only wearing a few pieces of jewelry, the shock bracelets, and a pair of tight leather shorts that barely covered his goods suddenly dawned on him.  So he leaned forward and tried to crunch his body into a tiny ball to hide his pale abused skin.

 

Morgan and Hotch watched as the battered boy curled in on himself in an effort to cut off those around him.  The two agents made eye contact in dismay at the sight of their vulnerable friend.  Both were clearly concerned that the genius was shutting down.

 

“Reid, we’re so sor-,” Hotch was cut off by the bustling of a gurney being pushed into the room by two emergency workers.  Following right behind the EMTs were the remaining members of the BAU. It only took one look at their newly found friend for looks of alarm contorted their face.  The team leader just shook his head at the two, indicating that they would talk about it later.

 

Reid could hear the clatter of the gurney wheels and sucked in a breath to prepare himself for the foreign touch of the paramedics.  Seemingly out of nowhere hands were grabbing at his exposed body and asking him invading questions.  The genius allowed himself to be guided to the transport vessel but didn’t respond to any of their inquiries.  He just wanted to get out of the house as quickly as possible without revealing any of the gory details of what happened to him during his stay.

 

He gingerly laid down on the gurney and felt them buckling him down.  A flash of panic flooded his body as he heard the safety restraints click securely in their place.  He started to hyperventilate as he struggled against the belts.  Deep in the back of his mind he knew that the straps were only meant to keep him safe but his recent experiences dominated his mind telling him different.

 

“Sir…sir, you need to calm down.  We have to strap you in for your own safety,” one of the EMTs said when he noticed the heightened rise and fall of Reid’s chest.

 

Morgan, who was following behind the paramedics, scoffed at the comment and raced up to his friend’s side.  He grasped the boy’s boney hand and said, “It’s alright Reid.  The belts are just there to keep you from falling off.”

 

Spencer jerked his hand out of Morgan’s grip and muttered through clenched teeth, “I know.”

 

Undeterred by his friend’s reaction to his touch, Morgan continued outside with the gurney.  He was not about to leave Reid after having just found him.

 

Once the group reached the ambulance the two men retracted the wheels of the gurney and pushed it into the rig.  Both men hopped in and gave the driver the signal that they were ready to go.  Morgan began to push his way into the vehicle when Reid stated in his loudest voice yet, “I’ll be fine on my own.”

 

“But Reid –,” Morgan started.

 

“No.  Please…just…just don’t,” the injured agent uttered.

 

“You heard his wishes,” the paramedic said as he grabbed the doors and hauled them shut in Morgan’s face.

 

The stunned agent stood in Jacob’s driveway and watched the ambulance cart his friend away.  He could tell that Reid was well on his way to closing himself off and tackling the aftermath of this whole ordeal on his own.  But the muscular man would be damned before he let the kid face this alone.


	17. Recovery Begins

Reid could feel the ambulance lurch forth carrying him away from the prison he had been dwelling in over the last twenty-four hours.  The sirens were silent for his journey, signaling the fact that the EMTs didn’t consider any of his injuries life threatening. 

 

The two men that had picked him up from the hidden room were busy bustling about the metal box throughout the trip.  At first they tried to ask him questions to gauge the severity of his injuries but the young man ignored their attempts at communication.  The agent was too busy trying to banish all of the memories that were rushing into his brain every time their hands touched is body. 

 

Unfortunately, the genius was not very successful with ridding his brain of the devastating memories.  They were too powerful to ignore and every graze of skin on skin brought with it an assault on his brain.

 

The first touch to his ankle brought back thoughts of the metal cuff that encircled his left one for the last four months.  The cool metal had chaffed his skin and cut deeply into his tender flesh for the eternity that he had been locked up.  The man’s cold and clammy hand that was now trying to put a brace on his sprained appendage caused him to kick out in order to dislodge the confining support.

 

“Sir, please calm down.  I’m just trying to stabilize your ankle,” the EMT said as he tried to defend himself against Reid’s thrashing leg.  “Son!  You’re going to make it worse.  Stop fighting me!”  The paramedic looked at his teammate with a silent plea for help.  He really didn’t want to use force to stop the kid from whipping his leg about, but it looked like he might not have a choice.

 

Luckily, the boy became distracted when the other paramedic decided to try to take his vitals and his leg seemed to lose its fight.  The man took full advantage of the momentary lapse and finished securing the brace around the swollen raw ankle.

 

Meanwhile, the other EMT started his own battle when he unwittingly tried to check Reid’s eyes with his penlight.  The man had reached up in order to lift the boy’s eyelid when his hand brushed against the kid’s pale cheek.  He was trying to tug the eyelid open but it wouldn’t budge.  Upon closer inspection he discovered that both lids were fastened closed with an adhesive.

 

Reid, feeling the light touch of the other man, couldn’t stop his mind from convincing him that he was back in the limousine with Jacob.  The gurney beneath him disappeared and became the rough upholstery that covered the limo floor.  Now, the dark that enveloped him was not due to his glued eyelids but the black blindfold that had been tied tightly around his head.  Worst of all, the hand that was supposed to be helping him heal no longer belonged to the paramedic but the man that bought him for his own sexual pleasure.

 

The paramedic’s fingers were lingering around the boy’s closed lids when the long boney fingers on Reid’s left hand shot up and gripped his wrist in a tight hold.

 

“Don’t touch me,” the agent gritted out as he shoved the hand away from his face, thinking that he was talking to Jacob and not the EMT.

 

“Sir, I really have to check you for signs of a concussion.  I’ll be quick,” he told his patient as he used his other hand to steady the boy’s head.

 

The paramedic hesitantly positioned his other hand on Reid’s left cheek and was trying to push up his eyelid when a fist came out of nowhere and nailed him in the chin.  The man fell backwards onto the metal bench set into the side of the ambulance and fixed a stunned stare at the feisty patient.  How had the kid gotten his arm free from the restraining belts?

 

“I said don’t touch me!  Leave me alone!  I don’t want this,” the agent yelled while he continued to swing his fist around hoping to land another punch on his assaulter. 

 

After a few seconds of flailing around Reid decided to try to free himself from the bed he had been strapped down on.  His one free hand started searching for the release to the belts that secured his waist and chest down on the gurney.

 

The two paramedics were gawking at the power that their seemingly weak patient was displaying.  It was a wonder what adrenaline could do to a body, especially one as abused as the boy’s.

 

“We need to sedate him if we plan on getting any work done,” the subordinate EMT said, reaching for the genius’s wandering hand.

 

“We can’t.  We don’t know if he has been given any drugs,” the lead EMT responded while he started rooting around in one of the cabinets built into the metal walls.

 

“Then what do you suggest?  Should I just hold him down for the rest of the ride?” he asked while he wrestled the boney fingers away from the clasp of one of the belts.

 

“You can try.  If not, use these,” the other one said, tossing a set of restraints at his partner.

 

The EMT caught the bindings in midair and was about to start securing them to the boy when the ambulance skidded to a halt.  The doors of the rig were ripped open by the ER personal and they began to unload the patient.

 

The lead paramedic jumped out of the ambulance and started spouting out all of Reid’s vitals and injuries to the resident in charge.  “From what we were able to see the agent has a dislocated right shoulder, a possible fracture in his left ankle, multiple lacerations to his back and legs, a mild concussion, and chaffing around his neck and left ankle.  His eyes are also glued shut with some sort of adhesive.”

 

The doctor listened intently to the paramedic and started giving preemptive instructions to the crew that was accompanying him.  They had just turned the corner into the exam room when the paramedic shouted out, “Oh, I forgot to mention that he became combative in the ambulance.  We almost had to secure his hands and legs down before we got here.  I’m not sure if he is fully aware of what is going on.”

 

Again, the doctor digested the information and called out to his team after the straps were unfastened from around the agent, “Lift on three.  One…two…three.”  The group transferred the scrawny body from the gurney onto the exam bed.  Quickly the workers started running around the room to fetch the instruments they would need to carry out the instructions that they had been given.  The EMTs gave the boy one last look before beating a hasty retreat back to the ambulance with their bed.  Their work was now done.

 

The resident didn’t even notice the exit of the paramedics as he started talking to his patient, “Agent Reid, can you hear me?  I’m Dr. Gibson and my team and I are going to get you all fixed up.  I’m going to start by popping your shoulder back into place.  You are going to feel my hands and a few other sets.  None of us are trying to hurt you.  Please do your best to relax your body and allow us to do our work.”

 

The doctor backed away from Reid and spoke a few words to the nurse.  While they were mapping out their plan to pop the bone back into its socket another nurse had set to cutting away the leather shorts that were like a second skin on the pale flesh.

 

Spencer, who had been calm up until now due to the lack of hands trolling his body, felt the cold instrument suddenly touch his milky thigh.  He let out a shout of, “No!  Please, no more!”  His tormentor was back.  He was back to play with the cock that was still throbbing against the cage that confined it and the ass that was still swelling around the plug that blocked it.

 

Not going down without a fight, Reid pulled his leg up and kneed the nurse that had cut through the left side of the shorts.  She fell down with a shout of surprise, dropping the scissors onto the bed next to the boy’s fumbling hand.

 

The second he realized that he successfully deterred his attacker, Reid grabbed the scissors and held them out blindly in front of him.  He waved them back and forth in shoddy defense, hoping that he was displaying some form of menace to keep the man at bay.  “Stay back or else I’ll plant this in your neck, Jacob!” he yelled hysterically, determined to never be assaulted again.

 

The hospital staff watched the delusional agent hop off the bed and nearly collapse due to his faulty foot.  The boy was panting in pain and fear as he backed up into the counter behind him.  Dr. Gibson stood stock still with the rest of his staff as he watched the boy slash his arm back and forth trying to hit something.

 

The doctor was brought out of his stunned stance when his patient moaned in pain after he bumped his dislocated arm against the sink as he sought his way to freedom.  Moving quickly and quietly Dr. Gibson made his way over to the drug cabinet and silently extracted a sedative.  He filled a syringe with the serum and handed it to a nurse.  He then made his way to the sightless agent and said, “Agent Reid, please put the scissors down.  Jacob is not here and we are not trying to hurt you.”

 

Reid, hearing the voice but not the words, turned towards the sound and shouted, “Stay back!”

 

With his back now turned away from the counter the nurse crept up and inject the frightened agent in his arm.  A pitiful whimpered, “No,” escaped Reid’s lips as he felt his body crumple to the ground.  His last thought before the tranquilizer took over was that his captor had won again.

 

* * *

 

The BAU team had gathered in the waiting room of the hospital.  Most of them had arrived not too long after the ambulance, leaving the crime scene in the hands of the local officers.  They had occupied the whole of the room for the past few hours and during that time multiple marks had been worried into the carpet. 

 

Each member was silent as they were all lost in their own horrific thoughts that revolved around their youngest most vulnerable member.  Most of the team was trying their best not to imagine what occurred in that dreadful room that they found their genius trussed up in but the situation they found him in made it hard not to picture the horrors he encountered.  Unfortunately, Garcia’s thoughts were direr than the others due to the fact that she had previewed some of the videos that had been encrypted on Terry Edward’s computer.  She knew that if Reid ever found out that her bubbly orbs witnessed his humiliations he wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye ever again.

 

“He was only with Boyd for a little less than a day.  How much damage do you think was done?” Morgan asked Hotch and Rossi who were standing next to him in the corner of the room away from the ladies.

 

“More than we’d like to think, especially since his friend was there too,” Rossi said with dismay.

 

“And let’s not forget all of the shit he went through while he was held captive with Edwards,” Hotch added.

 

Morgan let out a deep breath of air as he considered Hotch’s point.  His friend was going to be shattered shell of his former self and Morgan knew it was going to take all of them to help put him back together.

 

“Rossi, did you let the doctors know to keep us informed in regards to the results of the SAFE kit?” Hotch asked all of a sudden.

 

“I did, but first I had to explain that we were partnering with the Chicago PD on this case,” Rossi explained.

 

“Good, I just want to make sure we stay in the loop.  At this point though, I don’t think it’s going to be too hard to build a case against everyone involved,” Hotch said right before the door opened to reveal a doctor in a set of dark blue scrubs and a white lab coat.  In his hand he held a two plastic bags that were used to store evidence.

 

“Spencer Reid?” called out the grizzled doctor.

 

“That’s us,” said JJ promptly in response.

 

The team quickly gathered around the man and looked to him for the information they all desired.  “Which of you is his medical proxy?”

 

“I am.  Agent David Rossi,” called Rossi, stepping forth and offering his hand.

 

The doctor shook the proffered palm and said, “I’m Doctor Gibson, and I took care of Agent Reid when he came into the ER.  Would you like to speak here or in private?”

 

“Here is fine.  We are all invested in Dr. Reid’s health,” Rossi said, subtly correcting the way the doctor addressed Reid.

 

“Ah, I see.  Well, Dr. Reid came in with quite a few injuries that needed repairing.  Unfortunately, we had to sedate him shortly after he arrived -,” Dr. Gibson started.

 

“What?  Why?” Garcia cried out at the thought of her baby genius being put under against his will.

 

The doctor cleared his throat and began to answer Garcia’s question, “You see, on his way to the hospital Dr. Reid became combative with the EMTs.  He seemed to think that whomever had held him captive was trying to assault him again.  He calmed down by the time he arrived, but the second one the nurses touched him in the exam room he regressed and became aggressive again. We had no choice but to give him a tranquilizer so we could safely work on him.”

 

The team exchanged concerned looks at the realization that Reid was already having flashbacks and delusions.

 

Rossi urged the doctor on with his report, “So how bad are his injuries?”

 

“Dr. Reid’s right shoulder was dislocated and we popped it back into joint.  It will need to be x-rayed after he wakes up to check for nerve damage.  His arm is now immobilized in a sling for the next few weeks.  His left ankle was fractured and is now being stabilized by a boot.  Next, we were able to dissolve the adhesive that was keeping his eyes shut and I’m glad to report that they are undamaged.  He has a mild concussion that we are going to keep an eye on while he is here, but I’m not too worried about it.”

 

“Wow, our poor genius,” Garcia cooed in sympathy.

 

“Oh…um…I’m sorry to say that there is more,” the doctor said.  “He also had multiple lesions on his back that we had to patch up and disinfect.  We also found that he had severe burns on his wrists underneath two metal cuffs that we had to cut off with tinsnips.  I believe that they were caused by electricity, which makes me worry about side effects.  So we’ll order another test to check to see if he has any neurological damage when he’s awake.”

 

“Please tell me that’s it,” Garcia pleaded when the doctor stopped again.

 

Dr. Gibson hesitated to deliver the last bit of information, “I…ah…Agent Rossi, the rest of what I have to say is very sensitive.  Are you sure you wouldn’t like to go somewhere more private to keep Dr. Reid’s information confidential?”

 

Rossi, thinking that the doctor couldn’t tell them anything that the team didn’t already know, said, “No.  We are his family.  You can tell us whatever it is you need to.”

 

“Okay.  Well, I had one of the nurses remove the shorts that Dr. Reid was wearing when he came in to the hospital.  What we found underneath was quite a surprise.  Um, I’ve already taken the liberty of putting them into evidence bags for you,” Doctor Gibson said, handing over the bags to Rossi.

 

A gasp escaped JJ’s lips at the sight of the objects, “Is that…”

 

The doctor nodded his head in confirmation, “Yes.  That is a chastity cage and an anal plug.  Both were locked securely on his body and had been there for a few hours.  We also removed all the piercings and bagged them along with the cuffs that were on his wrists.  Each has been bagged separately for your convenience. Finally, the results of his drug screen came back relatively clean.  The only thing in his system was sildenafil citrate, otherwise known as Viagra.”

 

No one said anything as they processed the true extant of Reid’s torture by coupling the devises and the drug together.

 

“…Alright, uh…thank you Dr. Gibson.  We appreciate all that you and your coworkers have done.  When can we see him?” Rossi asked, trying to shift the group’s focus.

 

“I can take you to his room now, but he isn’t awake yet.  The hospital staff is usually strict about visiting hours, but due to these special circumstances I think it would be a good idea for him to wake up to some friendly faces,” the man said, leading the team down the hallway and to room B187.

 

“Huh…how appropriate,” Morgan murmured when he saw the room number.

 

“Even the hospital recognizes his genius,” Garcia quipped.

 

The doctor opened the door and ushered the group into the room.  “Please hit the call button when he wakes up or if you notice anything wrong,” Dr. Gibson said as he left the self-proclaimed family there to watch over their youngest.

 

* * *

 

His trip to awareness was not like anything he had ever read.  Usually authors describe an inky black blanket surrounding their protagonist’s consciousness.  The main character is able to make sense of the environment around them and hear the voices of the people in his or her room.  He could name a few main characters that had to fight their way back to the real world and stave off the tendrils of sleep.  Reid, on the other hand, just woke up.  There was no pomp and circumstance, no battle through the dark.  One minute he was asleep and the next he was staring at a white speckled ceiling.

 

He laid there as still as stone as his mind tried to decipher his location.  Had he really been rescued or had he been relocated to another room of Jacob’s house?  The fingers of his left hand grasped at the coarse blanket that covered his body.  As he rubbed the fabric between the pads of his index finger and thumb he realized that Jacob would’ve never put him in a bed.

 

As he gazed at the ceiling he began to take stock of his body.  He could feel his right arm but he couldn’t move it.  A dull ache originated from that appendage and even the faintest twitch of a muscle in his shoulder would change the pain to fire.  His ankle felt stiff and straight, signaling a support surrounding it.  As he rolled his left wrist he felt the chaffing of a bandage that must be covering the electrical burns.  He could feel all of the bandages all over his body.  They were numerous and cumbersome, but necessary. 

 

Wait…he was staring at the ceiling.  He could see again!  His eyes were no longer banished to the eternal darkness that had been forced upon them.  The blinding white of the roof over his head was a welcome sight in contrast to the shades of night he had been trapped in for what seemed like days.

 

His internal celebration was interrupted when the pressure in his bladder diverted his attention to his nether regions, where a throbbing sensation came from his package.  He could tell that his penis was bruised and swollen as a result of the battle it fought against the cage, urination was going to be quite painful for a while.  He also realized that the plug was no longer wedged into his backside, but he could feel the phantom of it lingering still.

 

Disgust started to flourish in his brain as memories of his rescue hit him over the head.  He had been trussed up helplessly in between his captor and his friend.  His teammates came in while Jacob had been forcing him to perform fellatio while Duncan whipped him from behind.  He had been dressed in the bondage gear of a sex slave, topped off with multiple piercings and decorative chains.  And in the end, the semen of his tormentor had dripped down off his face in the ultimate display of ownership.

 

Before he could fully wallow in his repulsion of what had occurred a squeal pierced the air, “Reid!  You’re awake!”

 

Penelope had spotted the big brown orbs staring forlornly at the tiles above them and couldn’t contain her excitement.  She let out her cry and rushed over to stand by his bed.  The team, who had gathered out in the hallway to listen to a conference call with the local police, poured back into their wounded’s room.

 

“Hey, pretty boy!  It’s good to see you awake,” Morgan called.

 

The rest of the team expressed their happiness at seeing their youngest wakeful and aware.  They surrounded his bed and tried to impart their support with their words.

 

Garcia was the first to reach out to grasp Reid’s left hand but was prevented when he jerked it away.  “Baby genius, how are you feeling?” she asked with concern.

 

The young agent, upset to find that he wasn’t alone, refused to transfer his gaze from the ceiling.  He just wanted them to go away.  He didn’t want to be surrounded by their well-meaning warmth and concern.  He didn’t want to sit idly by while they all acted like they didn’t know what happened to him.  And he didn’t want to accidently catch their eye and see loathing and abhorrence hidden in their depths.

 

So instead of responding to Garcia’s inquiry he chose instead to make his request in a broken voice, “Go away.”

 

“Nah Reid…we aren’t going anywhere, man,” Morgan said, worried that those brown eyes weren’t connecting with anyone.

 

“Go away,” he demanded again.

 

“Reid…we’re all here for you.  Don’t do this,” JJ’s voice came etched with unease at the way her friend was behaving.

 

“I said, ‘Go Away!” his voice laced with menace.

 

“No Reid.  We aren’t going to leave you here alone to overanalyze everything.  Don’t push us away,” Hotch spoke up in response to the demand the boy was adamant they follow.

 

Feeling frustrated that even now he didn’t have control over his own life, Reid used his good hand to grasp a small remote tethered to his bed.  Never tearing his orbs away from the ceiling, he traced his hands over the buttons and pressed them all down. 

 

Moments later a nurse came bustling into the room and cooed, “Oh, you’re awake.  I’ll have the doctor in here in a minute.”

 

She turned to leave when Reid requested in a robust tone, “Could you please escort these people out of my room?  I want to be alone.”

 

The teams’ faces reflected an array of emotions at the impersonal use of “these people.”  The nurse, surprised at the boy’s demand, turned around and asked, “Are you sure?”

 

He didn’t dignify her question with words but a terse nod.

 

“Alright folks, you heard the young man.  Out you go!”

 

“I’ll be staying if you don’t mind,” Morgan said trying to bully the nurse to get his way.

 

“Oh I do mind.  He is my patient and I need to follow his requests.  Now do I need to call security?” she asked turning on her no nonsense tone of voice.

 

“As a matter of fact - ”

 

“Just get out Morgan!” Reid shouted in anger.  “All of you, get out!”

 

The team started to shuffle out one by one, each giving the genius one last longing look.

 

“Reid…we’ll be out in the waiting room.  We aren’t leaving you.  You can’t do this alone,” Hotch said as he closed the door behind the reluctant profilers.

 

Upon hearing the door shut, the lost boy turned his head to the side and stared at the now empty room.  He shut his eyes and felt a tear drip slowly down the creases in his face.  His environment now reflected his soul…empty.


	18. Brick Walls

Reid fell asleep shortly after he had the team escorted from his room.  He even didn’t make it up for the doctor’s visit and as a result he still hadn’t received any of the extra tests he needed.  His sleep was restless and riddled with disjointed fragments of his time in captivity.  When he finally woke up a few hours later his mind was set on only one thing: put as much distance in between himself and Chicago as he could.

 

Looking around the room he noticed that the room was quiet and empty, just like when he fell asleep.  The only difference between then and now was the little bit of light that was seeping through the shoddy blinds.  A sense of satisfaction flowed through him at the fact that his request for isolation was still being honored.

 

The genius used one of the buttons on the bed remote control to tilt the bed so that he was in the sitting position.  Once he was upright, he began to test his legs to gauge his range of mobility.  He noticed that his left ankle was protected by a boot and not a cast, signaling the possibility of walking on it unassisted by crutches.

 

Deciding that there was no time like the present to see if he could walk, the agent used his good arm to maneuver his body to the side of the bed and let his feet brush the cold tile floor.  He took a deep breath and slowly pushed his body up off the mattress adding weight to his legs.  Even though he focused the majority of his weight on his right foot, the left one still protested at being used.  Ignoring the pain, for he had endured worse before, Reid stood upright and started unhooking himself from the wires that peppered his body.

 

The monitors at the head of the bed started sounding alarms, requiring the injured agent to shuffle over to them and turn them off.  The last thing he did before making for the doorway was rip the IV port out of his wrist.  As a result of his hasty removal, fluids started to drip onto the floor from the tube that had once been attached to his body.

 

Reid then turned his attention to the bedside table and opened the drawers to see if they contained a change of clothes.  He wasn’t really keen on the idea of going home in a hospital gown and hoped that a pair of scrubs might be housed inside of the furniture.  Unfortunately, the drawers were empty, leaving him little choice but to clutch his robe closed in the back with his good hand. 

 

Resolving to check a supply closet on his way out for some clothes, he started shambling toward the door to his room. 

 

He hadn’t even made it five feet when the door to the room was pushed opened frantically by a robust nurse in pale pink scrubs.  She skidded to a halt at seeing her patient up on his feet, “Oh, Dr. Reid, you shouldn’t be out of bed yet.  Did you need something?  You could have just pressed the call button and one of us would have come in to help you.  There was no need to remove yourself from all the monitors.  Come on now, let me help you get back into bed.”

 

The woman approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.  He bristled at the contact and jerked his body away from her invading hands.  Unfortunately, the movements were too much for his fragile state and the movement caused him to put too much weight on his injured ankle.  As a result, he went tumbling down to the floor and landed in a crumpled heap at her feet.

 

“Oh dear!  Here let me help you up,” she expressed as she bent to lend her support.

 

“No!  Don’t touch me.  Just leave me alone.  I’m going home,” he said stubbornly, struggling to get up off the floor.

 

“Going home?  You haven’t been released yet.  Anyways, now that you’re awake we can get those last few tests done,” she said, making her way over to the call button.

 

“I don’t want any more tests and I’m going to sign out AMA,” he said through gritted teeth.  His mission to get up was not working.  He couldn’t find a good way to push himself up without putting too much pressure on his injured limbs.  It seemed like his body was working against him, for each time he tried a different position his weakened limbs couldn’t support his weight.

 

The nurse, after having paged for assistance, crouched down next to the injured agent and said, “Honey, you are in no shape to be leaving.  Please, just let us help you back into bed.”

 

Reid’s head shot up like a cannon the second the nurse said the word “us.”  His eyes traveled to the door and helplessly watched as two burly male nurses made their way into the room.  Panic started to flood his system as the men approached his prone body.  He could feel his air supply getting short as he started hyperventilating at their presence.  He tried to ward them off by saying, “I’m…fine…I can…get up on my own…and I am leaving!”

 

The nurse, clearly oblivious as to the circumstances that brought him here, tutted at his statement and gestured for her two coworkers.  “Nonsense.  Look, we’re here to help you.  Let us do that.”  The two men, going off of their teammate’s cue, reached down and started grabbing the agent to help lift him off the floor.

 

He immediately started to struggle against their grip and shouted at them to leave him alone.  His fists started flying, striking out at anything in their vicinity.  Before he knew it, the nurses had him sprawled out flat on his back, one man was holding down his legs while the other had his left arm restricted above his head.  His chest was heaving as he tried to stave off the panic unsuccessfully.  The genius’s eyes caught movement off to his side; it was the female nurse creeping up on him with a syringe clutched in her stubby fingers.

 

“Hold still honey.  This will make you feel much better,” she said as if he was a child.  The next thing he knew the needle was plunged into the flesh of his arm and he was trapped in a memory.

 

* * *

 

_It was the first time the buyers had been present in the room before him.  His eyes immediately took in the duo of bidders that stood in front of him, a man and a woman.  Up until now he had only been assaulted by males, the addition of a female into this heinous world scared him.  Would she turn out to be just as sadistic as all the rest?_

_Reid was shoved into the room and the door was closed behind him with an echoing, “Enjoy,” coming from Edwards._

_The couple looked at each other and exchanged smiles.  The male was the first to approach the genius, whose hands were bound behind him with leather straps, “God, he is prettier than I thought.  Don’tcha think sis?”_

_She came closer to her prey, her six inch black heels clacking on the floor ominously.  “Gorgeous,” she murmured, cupping the boy’s cheek lovingly._

 

_“So, I get to go first right?” the brother said eagerly._

_“Hmmmm, I don’t think so.  It would make more sense for me to start us off.  That way you can come to the rescue if my fun gets out of control.”_

_Reid shuddered at her words, wondering what she could possibly have in mind.  Why would they need rescuing?_

_“What…oh…I guess that makes sense,” he said, realizing her point._

_“Excellent.  Grab the rope,” she ordered as she pushed Reid over to the table set up on one side of the room._

_The genius stood helplessly by as his hands were released from behind his back and then moments later rebound with a length of white rope.  He was pushed down onto the metal surface on his back and his hands were fastened above his head.  The brother took the remaining length of rope and coiled it in a spiral formation with the end of the rope resting in the middle of the configuration._

_“What are - ” Reid started to ask, his curiosity and fear getting the best of him._

_“Ah ah ah…no talking,” the sister said, cutting him off with a hand over his mouth._

_She took her hand away and gave him a look that said, “Just try me.”  Reid closed his eyes in submission and turned his cheek against the table.  Satisfied that her prey had yielded to her will, the woman started to remove his pants._

_“Sean!  Get a look at this!  It’s just the right size,” she exclaimed when the form in front of her was fully nude._

_Her brother, Sean, gazed over her shoulder at the genius’s endowment and broke into a smile, “Not bad for someone so skinny.”_

_Mortification overwhelmed the agent’s face in the form of a red rush of blood through his vessels.  Before he had more time to dwell on their comments, the girl crawled up onto the table and straddled him.  She then reached down between his legs and began to fondle the muscle until it responded to her satisfaction._

_Smirking, she forced him to look at her and said, “Alright, now that we’re both ready, it’s time for some fun.  My brother is going to light the end of the rope on fire and he won’t put it out until I’ve come to completion.”_

_Reid’s eye went wide as he tried to turn his head to look at the coil of rope that was attached to his wrists.  It reminded him of a fuse attached to a cartoon bomb, except he wasn’t going to explode when exposed to the flame, just burn. How flammable was the cord?  How long did they have?  Was she serious?_

_The girl, seeing the questions in his eyes, decided to enlighten him, “Don’t worry honey, you won’t get burned instantly.  We’ll have a few minutes to get the job done.  Honestly, it’s all part of the fun.  You know, racing against time and everything.  Believe me, the rush you are about to experience is going to be mind-blowing.”_

_She leaned down and planted a small kiss on his rosy lips, “Let’s get started.”_

_Sean nodded at her comment and held a lighter to the rope._

 

* * *

 

Reid jolted upright with a mighty cry.  He looked around in confusion before recognizing that he was back in his hospital bed.  His breathing was at first coming at a rapid pace, but slowed down as he pushed the rest of his flashback into the recesses of his memory. 

 

A drop of sweat plopped from his nose onto the starchy blanket that was covering his body.  He could feel more of the droplets running down his pasty skin and felt the urge to swipe them away with his hand.  When he went to pull his hand up he realized it was attached to the bed frame.

 

“What the hell?” he exclaimed, yanking at the cushioned restraint that was buckled to his good wrist.  His eyes grew wild and chaotic at the implication of his new situation; he was a sitting duck for predators.  Anyone could walk in here and take advantage of him just like his previous captors.  Panic started to take over and he instinctively tried to pull up his legs to gain some semblance of protection.  His feet only made it a few inches before they too were halted.

 

He let out a cry of, “No!” and started to furiously thrash around his body, heedless of his injuries.  “God no!  Not again!” was all he could think when the door flung open and a man entered his room.  The agent renewed his efforts to free himself and didn’t even hear the gruff voice calling out his name.

 

“Reid!  Reid!  Calm down, it’s me.  It’s Rossi,” the older man said in a voice a little bit lower than a yell, trying to break the boy’s delirium.

 

“Spencer! Stop struggling!” he shouted when he realized the kid couldn’t hear him.  The boy didn’t show any signs of stopping, so the agent made a split second decision that he knew wasn’t going to go well.  He placed his hands on his colleague’s shoulders and pushed him down onto the bed.

 

“Please, no!  P-please!” the younger agent sobbed despondently, still fighting against the man he thought was a stranger.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you.  You have to calm down.  You are safe here,” he tried coaxing, slowing his words down and enunciating them clearly.

 

The boy was gulping down air with his eyes clenched shut, waiting for the hands on his shoulders to travel further down his body.  He felt them lift off his body and tensed up in anticipation.  When nothing happened after a few minutes he cracked his eye open a slit.  He turned his head to the side and saw a familiar face staring back at him.  “Rossi?”

 

“Yeah kid, it’s me.  You’re okay,” he said, pulling the only chair in the room over to the head of the bed.

 

“What’s going on?  Why…why am I restrained?” Reid asked meekly, ashamed of his current state.

 

Rossi shook his head with a nauseated look on his face, “I told them not to do that, but they wouldn’t listen to me.  Do you remember what happened earlier?”

 

Reid nodded his head and said, “I tried to leave and the nurses came in and stopped me.”

 

“Yeah, well, apparently you became combative and they had to sedate you.  You put up a good fight from what I heard though.  It appears that you wound up biting a chunk out of one nurse’s hand and kneeing the other one’s…ah…family jewels.  The staff was nervous that you would act out again when you woke up, so this was their solution.  Believe me, the team and I fought against it but they wouldn’t hear it.  But now that you’re awake and calm, I’m going to take those things off,” the man said, reaching for the buckle that was detaining the boy’s wrist to the bed.

 

When his wrist was released Reid quickly snatched it away, as if to keep it protected.  He warily watched Rossi free his feet and brought them up to his chest as if to curl himself into a little ball.  “Why are you in here?  I told the nurses I didn’t want to see anyone.”

 

If Rossi was surprised at the question he didn’t show it, “You assigned me as your medical proxy.  I think it should be fairly obvious.”

 

Reid gritted his teeth at the nonchalant answer, “I know that. But what I don’t understand is why I need you.  I can make my own medical decisions.”

 

“Apparently the hospital thinks that you can’t.  The second you put up a fight against those nurses was the second that my services became necessary,” Rossi explained as he sat down in the chair again.  “By the way, where did you think you were going?”

 

“Home,” the injured agent said simply.

 

“Really,” Rossi scoffed.  “And how were you going to do that without any money, identification, credit cards or clothes.”

 

“I was going to grab some scrubs on my way out,” Reid mumbled in his defense.

 

“Not to mention you had no phone, no way to contact anyone if you needed to.  I mean, come on…you really didn’t think that through.  See, you do need me here to help,” Rossi quipped.

 

“I. Am. Perfectly. Fine.  I don’t need your help,” the genius said with anger tinging his voice.

 

“Ah…there it is,” Rossi said, leaning back and crossing his legs.

 

“There what is?”

 

“You’re classic ‘I’m fine.’ You use it all the time as an exterior to cover up your pain,” Rossi said straightforwardly.

 

Reid said nothing in response.

 

“We’re not going to let you do this, Reid,” Rossi continued.  “We’re not going to let you bury what happened so deep inside of yourself that it festers and destroys you from the inside out.”

 

“I’m not burying anything.  I’m going to deal with it,” Reid retorted starkly, crunching his free hand into a fist.

 

A laugh escaped the older profile as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, “Reid…Spencer…you can’t fake it hard enough to fool us.  We know you’re hurting.  I mean, who wouldn’t be after what you went through?”

 

The awkward agent refused to make eye contact with the agent as he spoke the truth. So he steadied his gaze on the medical board across his room; apparently his nurse’s name was TaNeeyah Ward and he was on a non-restricted diet.  Damn, how he hated the fact that the only people who cared about him were profilers; it made it so much harder to keep his emotional walls intact.

 

“Look, you’re only setting your healing back if you retreat into that refuge you are building in the back of your mind.  If you flee there you’ll only end up alone and in the dark with all of those memories.  You need to get over your embarrassment and let us help you,” Rossi pleaded to the man who was like a son to him.

 

“What if I like the dark?” Reid said, finally responding to Rossi.

 

“We both know that’s not true,” the man replied.

 

“I’m not the same person I was before this started,” Reid retorted.  “I had to learn to live in the dark.”

 

“Well, let us lead you to the light,” he said wisely.

 

Reid snorted at the corny words, “Could you be any more cliché?”

 

A weak laugh came from the old man, “I suppose not.  But what do you say?  Are you going to let us help you?”

 

Reid’s eyes shifted around the room, back and forth, flitting off of the different objects that surrounded him.  His pride was shouting at him to keep it all inside and his self-image told him that no one would look at him the same again.  Deep down he knew that if he let it all out that his friends would loath him instead of love him.

 

“We’ll see…,” he whispered brokenly, deciding that it was best if he locked it all inside.  “Um…I’d like to be alone now.”

 

Rossi, disappointed that his words didn’t break through the kid’s tough exterior, nodded his head and stood up.  “Alright, but I have one last thing I want you to hear…”

 

“What?”

 

“This too shall pass…,” Rossi said, walking out the door without another word after dropping a phone down on the nightstand.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the team stood up when Rossi walked into the waiting room after his conversation with Reid.

 

“How did it go?” Morgan asked.

 

“He is one stubborn kid, I’ll give you that,” Rossi said in exasperation.

 

“So he didn’t say anything?” Hotch asked to clarify.

 

Rossi considered the question, “He has his walls built up so tall it’s going to be hard to scale them.  At one point I thought I was getting through to him…that I knocked a few bricks down, but something in him made him throw them back up.  The only thing he admitted to was that he isn’t the same person as he was before.  He knows that what he went through changed him.  He just doesn’t know how to deal with it, and the kid’ll be damned before he asks for or accepts help.”

 

“Damn it, Reid,” Morgan muttered in frustration.

 

“Well, it’s too bad if he doesn’t want our help.  He’s going to get it anyway,” JJ said forcefully.

 

“No, we can’t force him.  He’ll only curl up inside of himself and harbor resentment for us.  He needs to come to us on his own,” Hotch countered.

 

“But we can’t just let him handle this on his own.  We tried that last time, and we all know how that turned out,” JJ snapped, angry that she was being told not to help her friend out.

 

“We won’t let him go that far,” Hotch said, ignoring the agent’s sharp tone.

 

“And how will we do that?” Prentiss asked.

 

“By making him realize that we aren’t judging him and making him understand that we truly want to help him work through this.”

 

“I kinda agree with JJ, Hotch.  If we let him go on his own there is a good possibility that he’ll hide everything from us and journey down the same rabbit hole as before,” Derek stated.

 

“We’ll just have to - ” the agent was cut off by a loud beeping coming from someone’s phone.

 

All of the agents grabbed their cellular devises and checked the screens.

 

“It’s mine,” Derek said.  He looked up at all his teammates and said in disbelief, “It’s Reid. He wants to talk to me.”

 

Rossi smirked in self-satisfaction, happy that his parting words must have worn a hole in Reid’s brick wall.


	19. Where I Belong

“Alright, but I have one last thing I want you to hear…”

 

“What?” Spencer asked right before he heard the gentle thump of something landing on the nightstand next to him before Rossi left the room.  He wasn’t sure what the older man had left him and honestly he didn’t care.  He just wanted to be left alone to sulk and wallow in his misery. 

 

“This too shall pass…,” Rossi said simply, closing the door behind his retreating back.

 

The genius’s head jerked up at the words and he gazed at the doorway.  How had Rossi known about those words?  He had only told Morgan the significance behind that saying.  The team must have found it traced on the window in his former cell.

 

Reid shook his head in confusion and realized that it wasn’t the fact that Rossi knew about the words that mattered.  What mattered was the man’s reason for uttering them now.  But how could the team expect him to want to share the most intricate details of his capture?  Didn’t they know how humiliating this whole experience has been for him?  Couldn’t they understand that what had been done to him wasn’t something that was easily shared?

 

Of course he knew their reasoning for wanting him to open up to them.  He knew what the statistics said, the earlier one seeks help the easier a trauma is to overcome.  He was already showing the signs of PTSD, what with his flashbacks and his detachment to the team.  He knew that he had a long road of nightmares in his future and given his already jumpy personality he would more than likely begin to experience hypervigilance.  He was also aware of the fact that trying to suppress his emotions would lead to them breaking free anytime he experienced stress or accidentally let his guard down.  In the end, he would end up destroying his relationships, lose his ability to function in the world around him, and spiral down into a pit of depression.

 

Yeah, he knew all of the facts about what he was about to go through.  He just didn’t want to do the one thing that would help him the most, talk.  Who would he talk to anyways? 

 

A therapist was out of the question.  He wasn’t going to divulge his feelings and emotions to a total stranger.  Someone with the power to send him away if they thought his emotional state was beyond repair.  Someone that could do to him exactly what he had done to his mother.  No, that was never going to happen.

 

Garcia?  No…he couldn’t expose her innocent ears to his plights.  It would destroy her sparkly innocence and corrupt her joyous personality.

 

Definitely not JJ.  His stories would weigh on her mind for eternity and every time she interacted with him she would try to handle him with kid gloves.

 

Hotch?  Rossi?  Could he handle working with them day in and out knowing that they were aware of the horrors visited upon him?  He would see the pity in their eyes every time they looked at him.  Worse yet, they would try to block him from participating in any cases that even remotely resembled his experience.

 

Prentiss?  Prentiss would have been a decent option if she weren’t a woman.  He was uncomfortable enough around the female species.  He couldn’t image how much tension would develop between the two of them if she knew.

 

The only option left to Reid would be Morgan.  Morgan, Morgan, Morgan...probably the one person on the team that could actually semi-sympathize with his situation.  But then again, Morgan’s experience was years ago when he had been a young and vulnerable teenage.  Maybe the other agent would resent the fact that Reid even thought that their situations were comparable.  He had been taken advantage of when he was a kid; Reid was an adult that stupidly walked into a trap.  The two events were like apples and oranges.

 

So what to do?  He knew that whatever choice he made now would affect him for years to come.  Did he want to shut everything away like usual and allow it to gnaw at his soul for the rest of his life?  Or should he take a leap of faith and talk to someone about it?

 

Shaking his head in frustration, his eye caught sight of the object that Rossi had left behind, a phone.  That bastard…the older agent knew exactly what he was doing when he walked out uttering his mother’s consoling words.

 

Deciding that for once in his life he was going to do something completely out of character, he grabbed the phone and sent off a quick text.

 

* * *

 

The genius heard the door crack open cautiously, allowing some of the hall lights to infiltrate the dim room in which he was residing.  He quickly steadied his gaze on the foot of his bed, purposely avoiding eye contact.  His hand, shaking in anticipation, gripped the bed rail in an effort to hide the tremor.  The agent issued no greeting to his teammate as the other man made his way over to the rickety bed.  The only sound that could be heard was the scraping of the chair legs on the linoleum floor as his guest made himself comfortable.

 

The two friends sat there in silence for a few minutes, neither one wanting to be responsible for breaking the stillness that had settled over the glum room.

 

Reid knew it was his job to speak first, especially since he was the one that reached out to Morgan, but starting this conversation was turning out harder than he anticipated.  He opened his mouth a few times, intent on baring his soul, however his nerves kept getting the best of him.  He found that the only thing making its way out was another breath of air.

 

Finally, after ten minutes of psyching himself up, he finally forced out, “What took you so long?”

 

A sharp indrawn breath was his response before a, “Pardon?” came from his best friend.

 

“What took you so long to find me?” he asked again at whisper level.

 

Derek heaved a heavy sigh as a pained expression took over his face.  “God…um…Reid, I’m so sorry that I didn’t get to you sooner.  I swear that I started looking for you right after we got that letter.”

 

“You did?  Than why - ,” his voice hitched, “why did it take four months?”

 

“Well kid…I hate to say it, but the letter was pretty convincing and the team wanted to give you some time to explore the world on your own.  I didn’t agree so I recruited Garcia and we launched our own investigation during any downtime that we had,” Morgan explained.

 

“You guys know that I would never leave you with just a note,” he hissed vehemently.

 

Morgan decided to lay it all out for the kid, “I know that and I argued with the others about it.  Honestly Reid, they were only trying to give you the space to figure out what you wanted.  Emily mentioned that you were questioning your place in the world and that she wasn’t surprised that you decided to leave for a while. So, everyone else felt it was best to give you your space and allow you to come back on your own.”

 

“Then it’s all my fault.  I inadvertently set myself up for all of this,” the boy murmured to himself despondently.

 

“How do you figure that, Reid?  You couldn’t possibly be blaming yourself for this?” Morgan asked in disbelief.

 

“But it is my fault.  If I wouldn’t have started wondering if my place was with you guys, none of this would have happened.  If I had been satisfied with my life and accomplishments than you guys would have started searching for me sooner,” Reid clarified, clutching his hand into a tight fist of fury.

 

“Okay, perhaps the others would have joined me in looking for you, but you couldn’t have possibly prevented your abduction,” Morgan said, trying to reason with him.

 

“But that was my fault too.  Terry…um…Officer Edwards admitted that he took me because of a je ne sais quoi I exuded at the seminar Prentiss and I presented at in Chicago.  Then, to top it all off I stupidly fell for the trap he laid by inviting me to that awards ceremony.  How wasn’t this my fault?  I guess I got what I deserved,” he said miserably.

 

Pissed off at the boy’s self-depreciation Morgan practically yelled, “No!  Don’t even think that Reid.  First of all, there was no way that you could have known that banquet was a sham.  Second, it wasn’t like you were out there taunting Edwards to take you.  You didn’t deserve a single thing that you went through!”

 

“I wish I could believe that…,” the boy trailed off.

 

“Look…Reid…it’s going to take time for you to accept the fact that this whole thing was out of your control.  There was nothing that you could have done to prevent it, and sitting here nitpicking your actions is not going to help you,” Morgan argued.  “What’s going to help you is opening up and acknowledging what happened.  When you do that you can start healing and letting go of the scorn you feel for yourself.  You can’t run from this, Reid.  Trust me, I know.”

 

A cynical laugh came from the kid, “I’m not going to heal from this one, Morgan.  This whole…this whole thing,” the genius said waving his hand in the air, “has left holes in me so deep there is no way that I’ll ever be able to fill them back in.”

 

“Let me help you, or better yet, let all of us help you,” Morgan pleaded, leaning on the bedrail trying to catch those amber orbs.

 

Spencer turned his head away from his best friend and sniffled, “I don’t know how to do that…it’s like if I do…my whole soul is going to be exposed, and that’s just…it’s just too…scary.”

 

“I get that, I really do.  Right now, you’re thinking that if you shove it all down into the depths of your mind it will go away, but you’re wrong and you know it.  Hell, you’re still recovering from what happened to you five years ago.  This whole ordeal is going to take you even longer.  The only thing that you can do is make the healing process easier,” Morgan instructed with empathy.

 

The genius sighed and continued staring at the opposite side of the room, “You’re assuming I want to heal, or even have a reason to…”

 

A chill rushed through the dark agent at those disturbing words, “Hey kid!  Kid, look at me!”  When the boy refused to engage with his friend, Morgan did the only thing he could think of and forcefully grabbed the boy’s chin.

 

“Let go of me, Morgan!” the younger agent cried out, trying to rip his head out of the other man’s grip.

 

“I will if you promise to look at me,” Morgan responded, knowing that his actions were probably triggering a flashback.

 

“Fine,” the kid cried out, clenching his eyes shut in an effort to push back the memories that were threatening to take over his mind.

 

The agent’s grip fell away from the sharp chin.  He patiently waited for his friend to calm down from the incident and when the brown eyes opened wide he immediately locked them in his gaze, “Tell me that you are not suicidal.”

 

Spencer shifted uncomfortably at the blatant words.  He wouldn’t deny that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind while he had been held captive.  Heck, he had been thinking about it constantly since being rescued too.

 

“Kid, I know that right now your life seems more dark than light, but suicide isn’t the answer.  You are stronger than that,” Derek began.

 

Reid, having heard this speech before couldn’t handle listening to it again, “Just stop…I’m not stronger than that.  Derek…if I could have figured out a way to end it while I was with my captors I would have done it.  The only thing that stopped me was that they had me restrained and isolated, so that a way never presented itself.”

 

“But you’re not there now.  You got out, you are free.  Show them that they didn’t destroy you,” Morgan said, horrified at his surrogate brother’s admission.

 

Again, Spencer let out a sardonic chuckle, “But they did.”

 

“They didn’t!  You said it yourself, they only tore holes in you.  We can repair holes.  I mean, you are talking to a master drywaller here.  I haven’t met a hole in the wall that I couldn’t repair,” Morgan gloated, trying to get a small smile out of his friend.

 

The genius curled his lip in the corner at his friend’s effort to add humor, “Yeah well, I think mine might be in the foundation.  And you know what they say about faulty foundations…”

 

“That they take more work?”

 

Spencer snorted derisively at the question.

 

“Look, if you don’t even try to do the repairs, you’ll never know if they’re possible,” Morgan posed, stretching out his back as he stood up from the chair.

 

“I guess...,” was the most Reid was going to commit to the topic for now.

 

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes before the genius asked the one question that had been hounding him since he woke up, “Who’s watched the video files?”

 

Morgan had a chagrined look cross his face at the inquiry, “Not everyone.”

 

“Have you?”

 

Knowing that the answer to this question was going to hurt his friend, Morgan tried to avoid giving a clear answer, “You know…no one is going to think any different of you after what you’ve gone through.  The files had to be seen in order to log them into evidence.”

 

The boy, determined not to be sidetracked, asked again with more intensity in his voice, “Have you?”

 

The dark agent nodded his head in admission.

 

“Oh God!” the younger man moaned, pulling his free hand up to his face and covering his eyes in shame.

 

“Reid…Spencer…it’s alright,” Morgan said gently, trying to soothe the kid.

 

“How?  How is it all right?  My best friend and colleague watched me getting…ra…assaulted over and over again.  How can I ever look you in the eye again?  How can I look anyone in the eye again?”

 

“Look, we had to watch it.  We were looking for clues to help us find you…,” Morgan trailed off knowing how weak the reason really was.

 

“Oh really, and how did watching me getting treated like a sex toy help you find me?” the genius spat out venomously.

 

“Come on Reid, you know that we had to cover all of our bases.  I didn’t watch them all, only a few sessions.”

 

“That makes it all better…oh God…now everyone knows how disgusting I am,” Spencer said full of self-loathing.

 

“Don’t talk like that.  We’ve gone over this already.  What happened to you is not your fault.  You are not disgusting, vile, or any other insulting adjective you can think of.  You were a victim to a horrific crime, what happened to you does not reflect on who you are now.”

 

“Don’t. Call. Me. A. Victim,” Reid snarled with a vehemence Morgan had never seen from him before.

 

The agent held up his hands as if to ward off the boy’s anger.  “Alright, you aren’t a victim.  I’m sorry.”

 

Reid ignored the apology and slammed his fist down onto his thigh over and over again.

 

His best friend jump up out of his seat and grabbed the boy’s willowy wrist, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid!  Stop!  That’s not going to make anything better.”

 

Reid fixed a cold stare at the dark agent and said, “It makes me feel better. Now let me go.”

 

“Not until you promise that you’ll stop,” Derek countered.

 

Reid jerked his hand trying to break his friend’s grasp but was unsuccessful.  He then started pulling harder and harder against the mighty grip and lashing his legs back and forth, “Let me go!  Just let me go!  I’m not worth it Morgan!  Just leave me alone!”

 

Instead of listening to the boy’s pleading requests, the agent did just the opposite and wrapped his arms around the tiny torso sitting on the bed.  He felt his friend stiffen in fright at being touched so intimately after his experience, but he didn’t care.  The kid desperately needed to feel comforting human contact and Morgan was going to give it to him.  He felt the boy’s uninjured arm push against his chest to put some distance in between the two of them, but that only caused Morgan to squeeze him tighter.  The muscular agent then started murmuring into his friend’s ear, “It’s okay…let it all out.  I’m here for you.  You’re safe now.  I’m not going to let you go.  We’ll get you through this, I promise!  You are going to heal.  You are going to move on and you are going to get better.”

 

The boy’s resolved cracked and his flood gates opened.  Grief-stricken sobs poured out of the agent’s mouth as he finally stopped struggling and collapsed against Morgan’s muscular chest.  His protesting arm ended up clutching his friend’s t-shirt in a desperate fist, almost as if he were afraid that the man would disappear if he let go.  His tears soaked the maroon fabric beneath his cheek while a strong had suddenly started to caress his hair.

 

The two men sat woven together on the bed until the boy’s sobs became tiny cries.  The whole time Morgan never once stopped whispering comforts into Reid’s ears.  He didn’t let go until he heard a sniveling sound come from his friend and realized that some tissues were in order.  He gently placed both his hands on the scrawny shoulders and eased his friend back a little.  He reached over and grabbed the box of Kleenex and passed them over to the agent. 

 

The kid took the proffered tissue and proceeded to blow his nose.  After he was finished he lifted his sanguine eyes and meekly stated, “I don’t know how to do this, or even where to start.”

 

Scooting back from his friend to give him some space, Morgan answered, “Just start at the beginning.”

 

* * *

 

_8 Months Later_

 

Reid took a deep breath as he entered the bullpen for another day of reading files, providing consultations, and possible chasing down criminals.  He made a beeline for his desk and noticed that no one else was around yet.  He looked at his watch that was sitting on the outside of his purple sweater-vest; it was 12:10.  He wasn’t late, he was never late.  Actually he was just getting back from a consultation at one of the local D.C. police precincts.  He had gone straight there this morning instead of coming to the office first.

 

Deciding that everyone else must be off to lunch he turned his attention to his overflowing “In Box” pile and took the first file of the top of the stack.  He had been back at work now for over four months.  Reid would have been back sooner but they forced him to take an extended medical leave.  He had to meet with a therapist multiple times a week and attend group sessions in order to help his recovery.

 

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the team there would have been no way he would have initially attended those meetings and appointments of his own free will.  His friends had been very verbal in convincing him to let the healing process occur.  So for once in his life he put his complete trust in his family and followed their advice. 

 

Walking into his appointment was probably one of the most difficult things he had ever done.  He hated the whole idea behind therapy and how he was supposed to pour out his secrets and problems to a complete stranger.  Of course, he didn’t like divulging his secrets to people he knew either.  In fact, up until that point, Morgan was the only person that he had revealed everything to.  So, it wasn’t surprising that it had taken him weeks to open up completely to his doctor, but when he finally did he actually felt better.

 

Though, while therapy was helping, he was nowhere close to being healed.  He still jumped anytime someone touched him.  If he had even thought about dating before the incident, it was totally out of the question now.  Honestly, the genius wasn’t sure he would ever be ready for sexual relations again in his lifetime. 

 

Another aftereffect he had incurred were the constant nightmares that plagued his sleep.  Throughout the first two months after his rescue he woke up at least three times a night in a shivering sweat.  There had even been a few occurrences of him lashing out at whomever had been unfortunate enough to wake him.  Luckily, his sleep had gotten more and more peaceful as he has learned to deal with his trauma.

 

One of the worse consequences of the whole ordeal was the fact that he was leery of anyone that wasn’t closely related to his team.  A nagging voice was always in the back of his mind warning him whenever he encountered anyone unfamiliar.  This made working cases quite a struggle for the already social awkward genius.

 

His friends, though, had followed through on their promise to help him through it.  They were always keeping an eye on him and watching for signs of PTSD.  At first Reid had been annoyed with how much they were looking out for him, but a freak panic attack out in Portland, Oregon when a local LEO had roughly grabbed his arm convinced him that their services were both beneficial and necessary.

 

Now, here he was eight months later, and those holes that he told Morgan about in the hospital were close to being repaired. 

 

As he looked back and thought about what started it all, his self-doubt about his place in the world, he couldn’t help but laugh.  How could he have been so blind to see that he had been right where he belonged all along?  This was the one place in the world where he felt that he could make the biggest difference, but also where he felt the most comfortable and needed.  Over the past few months his family had really shown him his worth.  He was a friend, best friend, son, godfather, brother, and confidant.  He couldn’t think of another place on the planet where he could be all those things at once.

 

“What’s put that goofy grin on your face?” a husky voice asked with a hint of humor.

 

The doctor spun his chair around to find his best friend standing behind him with an extra-large coffee clasped in his fist, “I was just thinking…”

 

“Oh, do tell.  What has got the good Dr. Reid smiling like a nerd at a Star Trek convention?” Derek asked, reminiscent of conversation they had years ago.

 

“Nothing…,” Reid said elusively.

 

“Come on pretty boy.  I want to share in the happiness,” the agent prodded as he gestured for his friend to get up and join him in taking a walk.

 

The genius acquiesced and followed his friend down the hallway, “I was just thinking about how stupid I was around this time last year.”

 

“Whoa, hey now…I thought I told you not to think like that,” Morgan said quickly, his humor turning into worry.

 

“Oh no…it’s not like that.  I was just thinking about how I wasn’t sure about my place in this world and the whole time I was right where I belonged,” Reid explained, turning the corner and stopping with Morgan at a closed door.

 

“Ahh, yeah…okay.  I’ll agree with you, that was pretty stupid,” the buff agent said flashing his dazzling white smile.

 

Reid smiled back and looked at the other man’s hand perched on the doorknob, “Is there another surprise party hidden behind that doorway?”

 

Morgan, knowing that his friend hated surprised, said, “Yeah…I couldn’t stop those girls.  Just do me a favor and act surprised.”

 

Reid couldn’t hold back a rare beam and said, “No problem.”

 

“Here we go,” his best friend said as he opened the door and placed arm across the boy’s shoulders, ushering the lanky man into the room.

 

Spencer put on his best fake smile and walked into a giant shout of, “Surprise,” from the other agents.  In that moment, he realized that the smile wasn’t so fake after all.


End file.
